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Thursday, April 25, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

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Biting into Ribfest Nechako Rotary vice president Darrell Hubbell tries some of the ribs during the announcement of the first Ribfest event coming to Prince George. The event will take place at Pacific Western Brewing from June 21 to 23. It will feature Canada’s best ribbers, food trucks, live local entertainment and Pacific Western Brewing products throughout the whole weekend. The event is presented by Pacific Western Brewing and the Nechako Rotary Club. It will be family friendly during the day on Friday and Saturday, and all day Sunday, and will be a 19+ event on Friday and Saturday evening.

B.C.’s top health officer calls Third shooting suspect arrested for drug decriminalization Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca

Lindsay KINES Victoria Times-Colonist British Columbians should no longer face jail time or a criminal record for possessing small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use, the provincial health officer states in a new report. Dr. Bonnie Henry recommends the urgent provincial policy change as way to mitigate the ongoing overdose crisis that continues to kill three to four people a day. Henry says the “war on drugs” is widely recognized as a failure that does more harm than good by stigmatizing people who use drugs and preventing them from getting help. “Decriminalization of people who possess a drug that reflects personal-use-only is, I believe, a necessary next step for our province,” she told reporters at the B.C. legislature. “It’s a mechanism we can (use to) stop both the incredibly high toll in B.C. and make harm reduction services more accessible and available to people who need them.” The federal government has made clear it has no immediate plans to address drug policy beyond the recent legalization of cannabis, Henry said. “But in the context of the continuing overdose crisis that is affecting families and communi-

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HENRY ties across B.C., the province cannot wait for action at the federal level,” she writes in her report, Stopping the Harm: Decriminalization of People Who Use Drugs in B.C. “Immediate provincial action is warranted, and I recommend that the Province of B.C. urgently move to decriminalize people who possess controlled substances for personal use. This is an important additional step to stem the tide of unprecedented deaths.” Henry says one option would be for Solicitor General Mike Farnworth to use the Police Act to set “broad provincial priorities” for dealing with people who use drugs. “This could include declaring a

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public health and harm reduction approach as a provincial priority to guide law enforcement in decriminalizing and de-stigmatizing people who use drugs,” the report states. The approach would use administrative penalties instead of criminal charges and allow police to link people with health and social services. Henry admitted that the Police Act has not been used in this context before. “But I say what other crises do we need to have to be able to use those powers?” The other option would be for government to amend the Police Act to prevent police forces from spending money to enforce simple possession offences. “It would basically say: ‘That’s not how we’re going to deal with this issue,’” Henry said. Victoria Police Chief Del Manak, who attended the news conference with Henry, said there is already de-facto decriminalization of simple possession in some jurisdictions. “I can tell you from the Victoria Police Department’s perspective, I dedicate zero resources to minor drug possession,” he said. “What we do is we target drug traffickers who use violence – whether it’s physical violence or sexualized violence – to prey on the most vulnerable in our communities.” — see ‘TO SAVE LIVES, page 3

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Three down, one to go. A third of the four suspects in the shooting earlier this month is now in custody, Prince George RCMP said Wednesday. Kenneth Munroe, 33, was apprehended during a traffic stop on Tuesday at about 1:30 p.m. near the corner of Victoria Street and Strathcona Avenue. Despite an attempt to disguise himself, Munroe, who was a passenger in a pickup truck, was arrested without incident and taken into custody, RCMP said. Police remain on the lookout for Eric Vern West, 38. “Eric has to be tired of looking over his shoulder,” Cpl. Craig Douglass said. “He has to be tired of not knowing who to trust and where he should hide next. He should do the right thing and turn himself in to police, because we will continue to actively search for him until he is arrested and taken to court.” West is described as Aboriginal, five-foot-11,180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. West is considered dangerous, RCMP warned, and urged anyone who sees him to call 911 immediately. Also in custody are Kyle Devro Teegee, 31, and Joseph Karl Larsen, 26, from the April 5 incident in an alley adjacent to the 2200 block of Quince Street. At about 4:15 p.m., RCMP responded to multiple reports of

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WEST a gun shot. Teegee was arrested nearby and a man suffering from a single gunshot wound was found in a dark-coloured SUV a short time later. He was taken to hospital for treatment. Two days later, Larsen was found in a 2100-block Tamarack Street home and arrested. All four have been charged with one count each of extortion with a firearm, attempted kidnapping, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm. West has also been charged with possession of a dangerous weapon and Teegee has also been charged with obstructing a peace officer. RCMP believe the incident was an altercation between two groups known to each other and related to the drug trade. Anyone with information on where West may be is asked to contact the RCMP at 250561-3300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca.

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