Tuesday August 20, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 67)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
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S O U T H
Sights of summer: The beaches of the Semiahmoo Peninsula have long been popular spots for summer fun, as evidenced by photos from Surrey Archives dating as far back as 1912. i see page 11
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
Child-porn collector had images of girl’s face superimposed on women’s bodies
Victim feared collage would be seen Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
A teenager victimized by a South Surrey man RCMP describe as “a prolific distributor of child sex-abuse images and video online” says she has lived in fear every day since the man she called “Uncle Doug” was arrested. In a victim-impact statement read aloud during a two-day sentencing hearing in Surrey Provincial Court, the
young B.C. woman – who was 16 at the time of Douglas Wayne Bowers’ arrest and cannot be identified – detailed intense emotional and psychological impact that resulted from learning Bowers had created a collage using her image superimposed on photographs of other women’s bodies alongside male genitalia. “I was scared daily in high school of people finding the photos of me,” she wrote on Dec. 7, 2011. “I live carrying
the fear of the images reappearing.” Bowers pleaded guilty in 2010 to possessing child pornography. He told police he had connected with the young woman – who prosecutor Keith Kinash noted is not Bowers’ niece – on Facebook. The collage was one of the items discovered on June 24, 2009 after an investigation by the RCMP’s Integrated Child Exploitation Team led police to Bowers’ home in the 16200-block of 40
Avenue, where he was arrested. Along with hundreds of videos and images discovered on two laptops and a memory card, at least 10 printed stories detailing sexual abuse of children were discovered on the floor by his nightstand. In previous interviews with Peace Arch News, Bowers maintained he had accidentally downloaded child images while attempting to access adult pornography. i see page 4
Doug Bowers
Monopoly slammed
Paddleboard vendor makes waves over city strategy Nick Greenizan Staff Reporter
photo courtesy CTV News
Lisa Van Vliet, with daughters Tayla, 6, and Annika, 5, says her children should not be subjected to the strong odour of marijuana grown next door.
Family fumes after medical marijuana grow-op allowed in residential neighbourhood
Growing concern over licensed ops Alex Browne Staff Reporter
A White Rock mother who has gone public with concerns about a licensed marijuana grow operation next door to her Marine Drive home says she’d like to encourage others to speak out when neighbourhood issues impinge on the quality of their lives. Lisa Van Vliet approached various media last
week – including radio and television stations – after being told by police and city authorities that they have no grounds to act against residents who have a licence to grow marijuana for medical purposes. Under existing licensing regulations, Health Canada is not obligated to inform either police or local governments of the location of licensed grow operations.
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And White Rock RCMP say privacy concerns make it impossible for police to either confirm or comment on such situations. Van Vliet said her concern is not only the smell of ‘pot’ that’s been wafting from the house into the bedrooms of daughters Tayla, 6, and Annika, 5, from out-vents barely 10 feet from their windows. i see page 2
A pilot project aimed at regulating paddleboard and kayak rentals in Crescent Beach has drawn the ire of local rental companies that have been forced from the area. The project went into effect this summer and allows just one vendor, Squamish-based Sea to Sky Adventure Company, to rent paddleboards and kayaks to beach-goers. The City of Surrey cites safety concerns as the main reason for the change, which has left a handful of local companies out of the water. There have not been any recent incidents surrounding the local paddleboard and kayaking scene, Coun. Barinder Rasode said, but added that the city wants “to get out in front of the issue.” “We like to do our due diligence on these things,” she told Peace Arch News Friday. The operator of one local rental company disputes the idea that the recent change is driven by safety concerns, instead suggesting the project is financially driven. “If it really is for safety, well this (industry) has been operating down here for 20 years, so I just don’t buy it,” said Mike Bjorge. i see page 4
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