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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013
LEAK CONVICTION
Higher court to hear Skakun
Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca
  The B.C. Court of Appeal has granted Coun. Brian Skakun leave to appeal his conviction of violating the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act by leaking a report on the work environment at the Prince George RCMP detachment to a local media outlet.
  In a decision issued Wednesday, Justice Kathryn Neilson found the trial judge may have erred in law in concluding that a
municipal councillor is an officer of a public body under the FOIPPA
  Skakun said he is happy with the decision.
  “It isn’t a victory but I think the Appeals Court has recognized the need to resolve this issue once and for all,” Skakun said.
  “And whether or not we’re officers of a public body under the Freedom of Information Act could have some pretty big implications for city councillors and regional district directors across the province.”
  In May 2011, Provincial Court Judge Ken Ball concluded city councillors were officers of a public body for the purposes of the FOIPPA and fined Skakun $750 and in July 2012, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly upheld the decision.
  Skakun’s lawyer, Jon Duncan, had maintained his client should have been afforded protection from conviction as a so-called “whistleblower” under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms or common law.
                                                                                                                                                                     — see APPEAL, page 3
COME ON DOWN!
CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN
 The first contestant on stage for the Price is Right live show at CN Centre was Mervin Sadowick with host Todd Newton. Sadowick lost the Cliff Hanger game. Two thousand people attended the show.
 Hello out there, we re on the, air, its ‘Hockey Night’ tonight. Tension grows, the whistle bio
                     Canada's bard,
                     Stompin' Tom Connors, mourned PAGE 15
NORTHERN GATEWAY
Pipeline firm open to Black proposal
 Peter JAMES Citizen staff pjames@pgcitizen.ca
   Enbridge Northern Gateway said it could support a plan by David Black to built a refinery near Kitimat, but needs to see the full proposal first.
   Enbridge vice-president for western access Janet Holder said if Black can show he’s got both oil sand suppliers and offshore buyers on board, the pipeline company will be able to get behind the plan which could create thousands of jobs and make the pipeline more palatable to a skeptical public.
   “I know David Black believes he’s very close to that and once we’ve actually seen a proposal, if it does make sense economically for Canada or British Columbia we would support it,” Holder said.
   Black spoke TO the media in Vancouver on Wednesday to provide more details on a plan called Kitimat Clean he initially floated last year. He originally said his plan could compliment the $6.5 billion Northern Gateway project which aims to ship diluted bitumen from northern Alberta to Kitimat for export. Now Black is talking about constructing his own pipeline.
   If      Black   and
 Northern Gateway were to join forces,
 the pipeline as proposed wouldn’t need to change very much.
   “I do talk to David Black and I understand what he’s trying to do,” she said. “I understand why B.C. wants to support a refinery. That does not impact on us, we will manage whatever products we need to manage.”
   Black’s plan would cost $25 billion to pull off and could generate upwards of 3,000 permanent jobs and many more during the construction phase. The newspaper mogul said he’s close to securing the financing for the project.
   “How solid is it? I would say it’s 100 per cent because in this case, the financiers are very anxious to help get the refined fuels from Canada,” Black said in a speech to the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. “I’m sure we’ll get through to the finish, I’m sure that money will be there.”
   According to a poll by Mustal Group on behalf of the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, 52 per cent of respondents who were given information on Kitimat Clean said they were in favour of the project versus 39 per cent who said they oppose it.
                                                                                                                                                                  — see ‘THE WHOLE, page 3
BLACK
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