CKNW Vancouver News

Heiress donates $40 million Vancouver Foundation, church, UBC

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:20:00 GMT

One of the largest charitable donations in B.C. history was made today by the estate of Vancouver heiress Judith Jardine.

The $40 million will be shared by the Vancouver Foundation, the University of British Columbia and the B.C. conference of the United Church of Canada.

The bulk of the money, $34 million, went to the foundation for the creation of a permanent endowment.

Jardine never married and had no children.

She was 82 when she died seven years ago.

Man forgets where he parked Porsche on ferry, leaves it on board

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:18:00 GMT

A Vancouver man claims he abandoned a luxury car on a ferry last night because he forgot where he parked it. But police say he still has some explaining to do.

"We'll be interviewing the registered owner this morning."

Delta Const. Ciaran Feenan says the silver 2012 Porsche was left on the Spirit of Vancouver Island after its 7 p.m. sailing docking in Tsawwassen.

“We arrived on scene and we were able to determine that the vehicle at that point had no insurance and we couldn't locate the owner."

Vancouver police later found the man at his home, but Darin Guenette with BC Ferries admits staff were worried.

"What we certainly do is try to figure out why somebody's not back in their car – if they got lost or they had a medical emergency and passed out or something. We go through a variety of steps to try to figure out what's going on."

The ferry's return trip to Swartz Bay was delayed more than an hour.

Dix dodges questions on Bill Good show

CKNW News Staff | Email news tips to nwnews@cknw.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:13:00 GMT

A day after saying he takes full responsibility for last week's devastating loss to the BC Liberals, NDP Leader Adrian Dix continues to dodge questions about his future.

Speaking on the Bill Good show on CKNW, Dix avoided answering questions about how long he intends to stay on as leader, if he wants to lead the party into the next election, and his flip-flop on the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.

Good: "But did you really do it with no consultation with the caucus, without talking to John Horgan, your energy critic? “

Dix: “Well this is not the case. In fact on pipelines, we'd spent I think two years talking about issues around pipelines, Enbridge Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan and how you were going to deal with those issues."

Dix has promised a full review of the election loss.

Duffy needs to go: BC Senator

Jordan Armstrong | Email news tips to jarmstrong@cknw.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:49:00 GMT

A British Columbia Senator is calling on Mike Duffy to do the "honourable" thing and quit the upper chamber.

The former broadcaster has resigned from the Conservative caucus for dubious housing expenses, but continues to sit as an independent.

Conservative Senator Richard Neufeld says Duffy, and others who've abused the system, need to go.

"I think the public actually demands that Senators should be honourable and do the right thing...that's where I'm coming from. Do the right thing."

Neufeld was appointed to the Senate in late 2008 after nearly two decades as a B.C. Liberal M.L.A.

He says it's an honour for him to represent our province in the upper chamber, adding he fully supports calls to toughen the rules around Senate expenses.

British Columbia Senator Richard Neufeld

Vancouver stabbing

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:27:00 GMT

Vancouver Police are investigating a nearly-fatal stabbing in the Downtown Eastside.

Constable Brian Montague says the victim was attacked shortly before 8:00 p.m.

"We got a 911 call regarding a man who was bleeding quite heavily. We were directed to the area in the 400 block of Prior Street. We found the victim suffering from a stab wound. We believe that the stabbing actually took place somewhere near Gore and Hastings and that the man walked to the 400 block of Prior Street. "

The un-identified man had surgery overnight and he remains in critical condition.

The search continues for his attacker.

Professor says Dix done as leader for next election

Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:28:00 GMT

A political science Professor at the University of the Fraser Valley says there is very little chance Adrian Dix will lead the NDP into the next election. Hamish Telford says after last week's election Dix will have a tough time governing his own caucus.

Telford says Dix has boxed himself in by refusing to give up his positive campaign, "If he, in the next election campaign, tries to be more forceful, more aggressive, people are going to be constantly reminding him, 'why are you going negative, why aren't you running a positive campaign?' This would dog him for the next four years and right into the next campaign. As would his flip-flop on Kinder Morgan and of course, his memo story from the 1990's won't have gone away either."

Telford says the NDP should take the time they need to choose a new leader and avoid the damage of having a revolving door at the top.

Surrey BOT supports coal shipping proposal

Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:22:00 GMT

The Surrey Board of Trade is throwing it's support to Surrey Fraser Dock's coal export proposal.

CEO Anita Huberman says they are satisfied the company will do everything it can to mitigate health and environmental risks. Huberman says proposals like this are always controversial but the economic impacts are too good to pass up, "They have addressed our concerns in terms of how they are going to be mitigating dust impact and you know, we are satisfied with that. Fraser Surrey Docks is very professional. This type of coal transfer facility is needed to create new jobs."

The proposal would see coal arrive at the docks by train from the U-S and then be shipped by barge down the Fraser River.

The woman caught on video hurling racist slurs speaks out

Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:41:00 GMT

The woman seen in a viral video hurling racial slurs and allegedly spitting on and assaulting a protester outside the Cloverdale Rodeo is speaking.

Jennifer Johanson told Global BC, it doesn't excuse some of the words she used, but the protester was also egging her on.

"I made some rude remarks and it got worse and she told me I am not Hindu, I am Muslim, I am terrorist and I will bomb your house. So I was like okay I just kind of lost it."

Johanson says some of the slurs she used, she picked up in school, calling them usual terms for East Indians or those with brown skin.

She says she feels bad and said if an apology was asked for then she is willing to say sorry.

Canucks fans react to the team firing the coach

Shane Woodford | Email news tips to shane.woodford@corusent.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:13:00 GMT

Canucks fans on the street are not surprised Alain Vigneault was sacked by the the team.

But they are also saying he shouldn't be the last member of management given the boot.

One fan saying that Gillis should have gone first because, "you can't blame the coach for the poor performance when it was Gillis who could have done some trades and moves and got some people in."

Other fans echoed the sentiment saying Canucks Mike Gillis has underperformed as the team's GM.

The Canucks were swept in the first round of the playoffs this year by San Jose.

BC Taxpayer's Federation questions Vancouver City Manager's spending

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:09:00 GMT

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is raising questions about expenses filed by Vancouver's City Manager.

The Federation's Jordan Bateman wants to know why Penny Ballem spent nearly $700 on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver Airport to Victoria to join the budget lock up last year in the capital city.

On top of that she charged the city $126 for a cab ride.

Bateman says there are cheaper ways to get to the island.

"[It's] absolutely perplexing there is a Vancouver budget lockup and even if she wanted to go to Victoria there are Harbour Air flights there are Helijet flights much cheaper ways to get to Victoria than $700."

Bateman's also questioning Ballem charging the city for a passport photo.

Mayor Gregor Robertson says, "I think we're always focused on containing expenses at City Hall. I think we've had a rigorous process around that occasionally there are expenses that come up that might exceed expectations and obviously we need to look at that and we expect all our staff and council to be managing their expenses very carefully and being fully respectful of taxpayer dollars."

Robertson admits he doesn't know why Ballem chose not to take a cheaper Harbour Air flight or Helijet to Victoria but assumes it was a last minute decision.