Monday, October 26, 2015
 www.pgcitizen.ca
CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE
The eighth annual Prince George Kidney Walk took place at the UNBC Northern Sport Centre on Sunday. The walk raises funds for the Kidney Foundation of Canada and promotes awareness of the importance of organ donors.
Clare proud of independent run
 Charelle EVELYN Citizen staff cevelyn@pgcitizen.ca
 You don’t need all 10 fingers to count the number of people who have run for federal office as an independent candidate in the last six decades and made it to Ottawa.
   That’s a reality that Sheldon Clare, who chose not to align with a political party in the Cariboo-Prince George race, said he was well aware of when entering the campaign.
   “It’s very difficult for an independent to be elected - I knew that going into this, but I wanted to be able to make sure that the debate was raised to a higher standard, I wanted to make sure this riding was not ignored and that it wasn’t a safe seat,” said Clare.
   By Clare’s measure, he “enjoyed tremendous success,” despite coming out of Monday’s general election with 657 votes (1.2 per cent of the popular vote).
   The finish placed him fifth in the field of seven candidates, earning 330 and 255 more votes than Christian Heritage candidate Adam De Kroon and unaffiliated protest-vote candidate Gordon Campbell, respectively.
   “I brought national attention to the race here and the riding. It’s certainly obviously not a safe seat now,” Clare said.
   Despite the national attention - Clare’s campaign was covered by outlets such as Maclean’s and Vice Canada - the local independent candidate said he knew that reach wouldn’t translate into local votes.
   “The election here was always going to be one of a main party versus main party and I knew that going into this.
 But nonetheless I knew the debates were good, I think I raised issues that became important for discussion and all in all I think it was a tremendous success,” he said.
CITIZEN FILE PHOTO
 Cariboo-Prince George independent candidate Sheldon Clare speaks during an all-candidates debate in Prince George on Oct. 8.
   The two main parties that ended up duking it out on Oct. 19 were the Conservatives and Liberals, with Tracy Calo-gheros making MP-elect Todd Doherty sweat late into the night.
   How does Clare square that outcome with his claim that his candidacy put pressure on the Conservative stronghold?
   “(Calogheros) was very clear with me that she thought that if I hadn’t been here, the debates would not have been the same and it may not have had the same outcome,” he said. “People were going to be voting out of fear and strategically anyway. The party brand is
 a difficult thing to overcome and that’s how the voting went. Certainly, the debates did get a fair bit of attention. Tracy is a very strong candidate and I mean, no Liberal has ever done as well as she has in this riding, that’s very, very clear.” With 16,921 votes, Calogheros earned 31.5 per cent of the riding’s support, about six times more than the five per cent backing the Liberal party was able to rack up in the 2011 contest and out-shooting the riding’s high of almost 26 per cent of the votes in 2008.
   For his part, Clare’s vote share is on par with previous independent candidates.
                                                                                                                                           — see ‘INDEPENDENT,’page 3
   Hearts and Hands for Homes Society has until Oct. 30 to post $8,000 as security or risk seeing an appeal of a B.C. Supreme Court decision thrown out, a B.C. Court of Appeal Justice ordered Friday.
   Habitat for Humanity Canada had been seeking an abeyance of the appeal until matters coming out of the B.C. Supreme Court decision had been dealt with and, barring that, for HHHS to post $15,000 security for the cost of its appeal.
   Appeal Court Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein rejected the request for abeyance, noting Habitat Canada already received a six-month extension on arguments for cost.
   “Habitat seeks to prove special or uplift costs, and will seek to hold the directors of HhhS personally liable for costs or any shortfall in HHHS’s funds,” Stromberg-Stein said.
   “This could be a lengthy process.”
   As for the posting, Stromberg-Stein settled on $8,000 because that’s how much HHHS has in its bank account and because HHHS has no income since Habitat Canada has seized control of the ReStore which has since been closed down.
   Habitat Canada has said it will be reopened once a better location for the store, which sells secondhand furniture and recycled building material, has been found.
   HHHS filed a request to appeal after B.C. Supreme Court Justice Neena Sharma ruled in July that Habitat Canada was entitled to take over HHHS’s assets because its predecessor, Habitat Prince George, failed to meet standards for remaining an affiliate.
   Stromber-Stein indicated HHHS’s appeal holds little merit.
   “HHHS appears to repeat the arguments made at trial and mainly takes issue with Justice Shar-ma’s findings of fact,” Stromberg-Stein said.
   “The key finding at the summary trial was that HHHS was an affiliate of Habitat, and the parties shared the same charitable purpose. Once this finding is accepted, many of HHHS’s arguments fail.”
   If HHHS meets the deadline, Habitat Canada then has 14 days to file a factum or summary of its position on the matter.
                                                                              Gov't openness lacking
                                                                               EDITORIAL 6
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