Prince George Citizen December 13, 2018 by Prince George Citizen

Thursday, December 13, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Preparing the celebration Maria Martins, an intern at the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum, attaches some lights to the old Island Cache school house that was moved onto the grounds of the museum this summer. The work is being done in preparation for of the opening of Celebration of Lights next week. There are over 100,000 bulbs in the displays that cover the eight-acres of the museum. The Cottonwood Minitrain will be running, so guests can see the lightshow from the comfort of the little train. There will be music from local choirs and musicians, and a visit from Santa. The Celebration of Lights is from Dec. 18 to Dec. 23 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Dec. 24 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Tuesday admission is free with a food donation for the food bank. The Celebration of Lights will continue Dec. 27 to Dec. 30 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Judge upholds verdict, finds man guilty of sex interference Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca A Prince George man’s bid to have a conviction overturned for inappropriately touching a young girl has failed. In February 2015, a jury found Paul Veeken guilty of sexually interfering with a person under 16 years old and he was subsequently sentenced to two years in jail followed by one year probation. In the aftermath, Veeken, now 45, won a new trial, this time before a judge alone. But on Wednesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lance Bernard effectively upheld the jury’s verdict, finding Veeken had inappropriately and deliberately touched a girl over the course of about two years starting when she was 10 years old, often under the guise of pulling her onto his lap and tickling her. When testifying, Veeken had admitted to hosting get-togethers for groups of children at a cabin in the region where they would use a hot tub and watch movies on a television he had installed. He also admitted to stocking the cabin with candy and ice cream, along with toys and children-friendly movies, but maintained it was only because he liked such things. Veeken also stressed he maintained a

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Graduation rates on the rise Citizen staff

“two-kid rule” to avoid being unfairly accused of inappropriate behaviour. But Bernard found that troubling given his admitted behaviour, which included joining girls in the hot tub when no adults were present. The matter came to a head when the girl took a course on babysitting and was warned about fathers who might try to touch a babysitter in the car on the way home. She brought Veeken’s behaviour up with her parents and eventually it was taken to the police. Bernard had some strong words for Veeken in reaching his decision, finding he had groomed the girl for his own sexual gratification while “hiding in plain view” by using the other children as a “smokescreen of sorts.” Bernard found the victim was a “naive young girl” who was entranced by Veeken and the cabin and all it had to offer. “It was a child’s dream that sadly turned into a nightmare” when she came to realize Veeken was sexually molesting her, Bernard said. Veeken will be sentenced at a later date after a pre-sentence report has been completed. He remains out on conditions that include staying away from parks, pools, playgrounds and other areas where children tend to congregate.

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Nearly 80 per cent of students attending a School District 57 high school are completing Grade 12, according to numbers released this week. At 79.7 per cent, the figure for the 2017-18 school year represents a 6.5 per cent rise over the previous school year. The rate for all of B.C. is 84.8 per cent. In a statement, school board chair Tim Bennett said trustees are “excited by these results” but also know more work needs to be done to not only reach parity with the rest of the province but to reach 100 per cent completion. “We also need to ensure that this is not a blip on our chart but the new baseline,” he added. Called the six-year graduation rate, it is based on the number of students who earn either a B.C. Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood) or B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood) within six years of enrolling in Grade 8. It does not include students who achieved a British Columbia School Completion Certificate (Evergreen), which applies to those with special needs who have met the goals of their individual education plan. The school district also witnessed an increase in the graduation rate for Aboriginal students, which rose 8.5 points to 65.8

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BENNETT per cent. B.C.-wide, it is 69 per cent. Likewise, the graduation rate for English language learners rose 7.9 points to 64.3 per cent and for students with special needs, it rose 13.3 points to 57.8 per cent. B.C.-wide, the rate for English language learners is 87.7 per cent and for special needs students it is 71.7 per cent. A five-year strategy, dubbed “Inspiring Learning Anywhere” and approved by trustees in 2016, is credited for the improvement. It outlines overall and specific goals, including raising graduation rates to the point where they meet or exceed the average for the province.

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