Vancouver Information and Newspaper

Archive for August, 2009

MONTREAL – Montreal’s two main municipal parties spent the weekend gearing up for the campaign trail.

With allegations corruption swirling around City Hall, Mayor Gerald Tremblay of the ruling Union Montreal told his troops to put the past behind them and focus instead on the party’s future.

Tremblay’s administration faces allegations of links to extortion and alleged Mafia-meddling over a $10.6-million contract to replace a roof at city hall.

The administration is now part of a police investigation directed at corruption in the construction industry.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Louise Harel of Vision Montreal focused her campaign announcements on ethics and transparency.

Both party leaders promised more transparency to how they raise cash by posting campaign contributions on their respective websites.

Earlier this month, former judge John Gomery announced he would oversee fringe party Projet Montreal’s fundraising campaign leading to the city’s Nov. 1 municipal election.

FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alta. – The body of a man was discovered in the bedroom of a home after firefighters were called to a house fire north of Edmonton.

RCMP in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., say emergency crews responded to the fire at around 4 a.m.

The home had been severely damaged and when emergency workers searched inside, they found the body of a 26-year-old man.

Police say the man’s name is being withheld while his family is notified.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the province’s fire inspector and the RCMP.

WHITECOURT, Alta. – RCMP have charged a 19-year-old man with second-degree murder after his father’s body was found in a home in northwestern Alberta.

Police say the body of Ronald Greschuk, 46, was found in the basement of his home in Whitecourt, Alta., on Friday.

The investigation is continuing and an autopsy was expected to be performed on Tuesday.

Tyler John Greschuk is expected to appear in court on that day to face the murder charge, and another of offering an indignity to a body.

FREDERICTON – A 33-year-old Fredericton woman is in serious condition in hospital after her motorized wheelchair was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Saturday night.

Police say the woman was making her way up Regent St. when she was clipped while in a crosswalk.

Witnesses told police they saw a four-door, dark-grey car speeding off.

The woman’s injuries are considered life-threatening.

When Kayak For a Cure started four years ago, the homegrown charity had 15 participants and raised $1,500 for cancer research and treatment.

Yesterday, the event, which is now in five cities in Canada and the United States, had 65 participants and raised $35,000 — an “incredible feat” considering its humble roots, said organizer Mark Starkey.

Starkey came up with idea for the fundraiser after his grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia.

“The fact that my grandmother was able to have this kind of impact on so many people is (amazing),” he said.

“(But) it’s really about everyone’s stories. We want to make sure that we honour everybody’s stories.”

Don Wilder’s story is about his mother, who died of cancer in 2005. He joined the event in Victoria and Vancouver in her memory.

“A couple of years ago I was kayaking around Vancouver Island and … thought it would be nice to find a way to use a kayak to raise money for prevention of cancer,” said Wilder.

He said he came back from his trip and learned that his vision was already a reality, and joined in the next Kayak For a Cure event.

“It’s emotional because you’re thinking about who you lost, but it’s also a very rewarding experience as you try to raise money to help people,” Wilder said.

“I will be here for the rest of my life with Kayak For a Cure.”

Ryan Jenkins’ father said he believes his son is innocent and that he intends to offer a reward for the capture of Jasmine Fiore’s killer.

Her body was found stuffed inside a suitcase and dumped in a trash bin near Los Angeles. The only suspect was her ex-husband, Calgary millionaire and reality TV participant Ryan Jenkins.

He was found hanged in a Hope motel on Aug. 23.

In a letter to a Calgary newspaper, Dan Jenkins said he believes his son spent his last three days “alone … watching the media report that he was the brutal killer of his own wife.”

“On television it was as if he had been tried and convicted. I think in his loneliness and despair he simply gave up,” Dan Jenkins said.

“Once I am in better shape, I intend to offer a reward for the capture of her killer. I offer my sincerest condolences for Jasmine’s family.”

The letter also says that the marriage to Fiore was passionate and tumultuous. They tied the knot three days after meeting and Ryan Jenkins later spent two days in jail for pushing Fiore into a Las Vegas hotel pool, claiming he saw her kiss another man.

Dan Jenkins said his son drove to Canada only at the behest of his mom after he thought that Fiore had left him for good.

He was found days later hanged at the Thunderbird Motel. An unidentified woman driving a PT Cruiser with Alberta licence plates checked him in.

On Friday, the RCMP said no charges will be filed against the woman because she helped him get the room one day before a criminal warrant was issued in Canada.

While she was never identified, the PT Cruiser was found at the Coal Harbour condo where Jenkins’ half-sister lives.