Thursday April 11, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 30)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
All that jazz: The month-long Surrey Festival of Dance, which features more than 10,000 performers in a variety of styles, kicked off last week with jazz competitions. › see page 41
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
Stigma ‘worse than the disease’
Speedway revival
Racing fans pursue
Words hurt, words heal Kevin Diakiw Black Press
“It’s your fault she died, you know,” he insisted. “If you hadn’t gotten into that fight with her, she’d probably be alive. Why don’t you just take that knife and cut your wrists?” She ignored the words that sounded like the voice of a 50-year-old man talking into her ear from over her shoulder. For two years, she didn’t tell a soul what she was hearing. “It’s your fault. Those pills on the table, you should take the whole bottle.” She was afraid she’d be locked up in a psych ward and that her friends would ditch her. “Just jump out in front of that car, it’ll be quick.” Frightened and fatigued, she finally sought help from a teacher at her White Rock high school. She got help, but her friends fled nonetheless. That was the hardest part, says Ashleigh A Black Press Singleton, a wellspecial series spoken and lucid examines the woman of 27, shattering effects who still hears the voices she of mental illness did 13 years ago. But thanks to the right medication for schizophrenia, they’re nowhere near as loud – or as convincing. She no longer feels like killing herself. As a heavy-metal-music-loving teenager, Singleton couldn’t finish high school for the teasing and isolation she underwent. The stigma was almost too much to bear. She misses the dozen or so friends who wouldn’t socialize with her anymore after she was diagnosed as schizophrenic. But she says those have since been replaced by a host of other great friends. Singleton’s story is one the public might never have heard, as most people with mental illness choose to keep their malady a secret rather than face discrimination. But Singleton mustered the strength to damn the critics and begin speaking her truth anyway. › see page 4
park Jeff Nagel Black Press
HARD to HELP
Evan Seal photo
RE-DEFINE your space!
ENTER one of t TO WIN wo prize www s
.peacearc h for detail news.com s!
SEE PAGE 35
Ashleigh Singleton and her father, Mike, are going public with a subject many families keep hidden.
BORDER GOLD CORP.
The roar of race-car engines may soon return to tranquil Campbell Valley Regional Park if local motorsports enthusiasts can convince Metro Vancouver. Stock cars haven’t ripped around Langley Speedway since it closed in 1984, but volunteers who want to reopen the defunct track in the south end of the park will make a pitch to Metro’s environment and parks committee today (Thursday). Murray Jones, president of the Langley Speedway Historical Society, says there are thousands of fans in the Lower Mainland, as well as racers, who would flock to the track off 16 Avenue in South Langley, since the next nearest one to Vancouver is in distant Agassiz. “The regional series of NASCAR, whether it’s the northwest tour or some other regional stock car series, would love to come here,” he said. “It’s a dream, but it’s not an impossible dream. We can find ways to do this.” Jones expects a battle with some nearby residents concerned about noise and traffic, as well as Metro politicians and bureaucrats who may see racing as incompatible with trail walking and nature contemplation. But, he argues, the restored racetrack would be a much-needed money-maker for Metro’s regional parks division – the regional district would get a cut of the revenue. Businesses and other sponsors are ready to come on board to help rebuild stands and infrastructure. “Langley Speedway used to accommodate up to 10,000 people and probably could easily again.” › see page 8