Thursday May 29, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 43 43) 3)
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
Silver belles: Elgin Park Orcas knocked d off some of B.C.’s best teams en route to a silver-medal finish, just ust short of capturing the school’s fi first-ever rst-ever provincial title in senior girls rugby. i see page 35
Parole board did not recommend issuing a warning for man now facing murder charge
No public alert over accused’s past Kevin Diakiw Black Press
The man accused of killing a Surrey hockey mom was considered a risk of reoffending after a violent assault in Ontario five years ago. However, Surrey RCMP were not notified because the accused had served his full term, and he was free to travel the country without having the public warned about his chances of reoffending.
Yosef Jomo Gopaul, 27, was charged last week with second-degree murder in the beating death of hockey mom Julie Paskall outside the Newton Ice Arena on Dec. 29, 2013. Gopaul remains not guilty of the Surrey offence, as it hasn’t been proven in court. In 2010, Gopaul was sentenced to two years, seven months in jail after a violent assault on a woman in Brampton, Ont. Canadian Parole Board documents show he followed a woman
home from a bar on Jan. 1, 2009, and attacked her when she stopped to urinate. “Despite being intoxicated, the victim recalled ‘being struck with punches and kicks and fighting back’ and being dragged by the ‘hood of her jacket’ while she ‘was naked from the waist down,’ “ Parole Board of Canada documents say. When a witness interrupted the attack, Gopaul reportedly pushed the victim into an
icy creek and left. Gopaul denied hurting the victim. The documents indicate he is at “the high end of the moderate range of risk for general and violent recidivism” – a risk that escalates when drugs or alcohol are involved. He was released into house arrest to serve out his term, but violated the conditions of his community release 10 days later. i see page 4
Tracy Holmes photos
Outside the Kent Street Activity Centre Tuesday, evidence that City of White Rock employees are on strike is mounting as visitors dump their disposables near the city venue’s bins.
Trash buildup hampers city property and White Rock’s neighbours
Signs of collateral damage rise from civic standoff Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Evidence that City of White Rock employees are on strike is beginning to pile up – both within the city’s borders and outside. A mountain of waste continues to grow in the Kent Street Activity Centre parking lot, where, on Tuesday, a green bin for recyclables was both overflowing and surrounded with all manner of mess – from cardboard to household garbage to a kitchen table. CUPE 402-01 staff manning the picket line at the centre told Peace
CUPE signs greet visitors to Tuesday’s opening of Semiahmoo Arts new mural project at Centennial Park. Arch News the accumulation represents just one week’s worth of refuse – and, steps are being taken to ensure it isn’t cleaned up before an agreement is reached.
Citywide, the workers have been on the picket line full time since May 12. Garbage/recycling pickup is among the service gaps not being filled during the job action.
• Comprehensive Eye Exams • Children & Senior Vision Care • Digital Retinal Photography • Contact Lenses • Glaucoma & Cataract Evaluation #50 - 2285 160th Street, South Surrey • Designer Eyeglasses & Sunglasses (Grandview Corners - across from Future Shop) • Laser Surgery Co-Management
(604) 535-8118 www.insighteyecare.ca
NEW PATIENTS WELCOME
According to the employees outside the Kent Street centre, there have been efforts to bypass the picket lines, with collection trucks arriving at all hours of the night.
But few are getting through, they said – even between 3 and 4 a.m. they’ve found a union representative there to block them. Collateral damage of the halt in service has stretched to affect at least one South Surrey business. Semiahmoo Bottle Depot’s Heimin Lee is appealing to White Rock citizens to stop using his 24 Avenue depot as a dumping ground. There has been an influx of refuse dropped off since the strike went citywide, Lee said Wednesday. i see page 4
Ramp Up Your Math Skills This Summer err and Set Up for
Success!
DR. AVI SAHOTA
DR. KAREN SAHOTA
Early Registration Rates for Summer Programs
604-385-3100 • 3268 King George Blvd.
mathnasium.com/southsurrey