Prince George Citizen November 29, 2018 by Prince George Citizen

Thursday, November 29, 2018 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN

Road work Work continues at the intersection of Queensway and Patricia Boulevard. Patricia Boulevard was closed from the intersection with Queensway to the entrance of city hall in late September to allow for the installation of a new sewer system along Lower Patricia to London Street. The operation will replace aging infrastructure and provide increased capacity for the city’s growing downtown.

Wells gets internet upgrade Man sentenced for rough treatment of baby daughter

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca The village of Wells is getting better internet service. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Citizens’ Services announced new upgrades to select rural communities in B.C. and the Cariboo hamlet was one of them. Minister Jinny Sims said “high-speed internet access is critical for people to learn, do business and communicate with each other. In today’s connected world, reliable and affordable internet access is no longer a luxury – it’s an absolute necessity. These new projects will help ensure residents of Clinton, Deka Lake and Wells have the same opportunities online as British Columbians in urban centres.” The money to make the connectivity upgrades comes from the Connecting British Columbia Program which invests 50 per cent of the costs, when an application is successful in the process to boost B.C.’s rural communications infrastructure. ABC Communications led the application to better service Wells, as well as the fellow Cariboo communities of Clinton and Deka Lake. The fund is administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust. Falko Kadenbach, vice-president of ABC Communications, said “throughout the past two summers, British Columbians have been challenged by natural disasters. ABC Communications, along with many other service providers, provides a lifeline to many residents in rural B.C. during these events. “Programs like the Connecting British Co-

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Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff

SIMS lumbia program play an important role in making these services available, affordable and reliable to British Columbians.” The effect on Wells and its next door neighbour Barkerville will be both cultural and economic, according to those who live there. “The connection between arts and the internet have become a lifeline for rural arts organizations,” said Karen Jeffery, executive artistic director of the Sunset Theatre Society in Wells. “In the fast-paced world of having information at your fingertips, it’s imperative that we continue to be able to offer that service to visiting artists wanting to create in a rural environment while still being connected to an urban centre.” — see BROADBAND, page 3

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A former Prince George man was sentenced Wednesday to three years probation for treating his infant daughter so roughly he broke several of her bones. In issuing the sentence, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Marguerite Church agreed with a joint submission from Crown and defence counsels, who told the court the injuries were not inflicted intentionally and have not left any permanent damage. The man, whose name cannot be published under a court-ordered publication ban against information that would identify the victim to the general public, was only 21 years old at the time, “and clearly did not have the parenting skills to cope with his infant daughter.” Over the course of 11 weeks, starting when she was just one month old, the girl suffered fractures to three of her ribs and a femur, as well as bruises to her wrists, shoulders, ankles and back and two cuts to the inside of her mouth. All of the injuries occurred when he was alone with the girl, usually when becoming frustrated while trying to soothe and quiet her but also when he tripped while getting out of a rocking chair and holding her too tightly, bruising her back. The mother and daughter left the home and in the 4 1/2 years since then, he has refrained from trying to see the girl. And a few days after the mother and daughter had left him, he called Project

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I don’t understand why you hurt her so many times. — Mother of the victim Parent North to say he wanted to learn how to handle a baby. Prior to sentencing, the mother delivered an emotion-filled victim impact statement. “I don’t understand why you hurt her so many times,” she said though sobs as the father looked on from the prisoner’s box. “I gave you the most amazing thing I could ever give anyone and you broke it. You literally broke her.” She went on to say she was “bombarded” with questions from physicians, investigators and social workers and worried the girl would be taken away from her. She vowed to protect her daughter from him for the rest of her life and put the blame squarely on his shoulders. The man, who no longer lives in Prince George, has accepted full responsibility, the court was told. Church found the sentence falls within the range for the offence albeit at the low end. But she also noted he pleaded guilty to a count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and has lived up to conditions during the time he has been on bail. Conditions of his probation include taking councilling.

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