YORKTON THIS WEEK (Apr 17)

As I do a real slow burn over the needless and tragic suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons; I wonder why a few of these simple steps weren’t followed when investigating the alleged gang rape of the young girl:  why wasn’t the first person who was proven to have passed around a photo of her being assaulted charged with possession and/or distribution of child pornography?  Or, at the very least how come pressure wasn’t put on that person to reveal who/how the pictures came into that invidual’s possession?  Once you do that, you follow the trail backwards until you get to the real source.  This just seems so simple to me.  There must be more to the story that hasn’t been reported.  Was she a willing participant who changed her mind after it happened?  Even if that’s the case, you still have the photos and she’s 15  years old.  It’s child pornography at the very least.  Sexual assault at the most. 

Instead of northern Manitoba reserves letting their residents shoot dogs, I wonder if there shouldn’t be actual rules for pets like the City of Winnipeg has.  I bet these rules are in place in just about every municipality in Canada; but I notice that, in Winnipeg, you can be fined $200 if you let your dog run around without a leash.    If you are breeding, then you need a special permit.  So, let’s get some laws in place in northern Manitoba so that kids aren’t killed by stray dogs and dogs don’t  have to be shot like raccoons by people out for a thrill.

I drove by the Gallagher Centre on my way to Humboldt on Saturday for the SJHL game and noticed parking for the Spring Expo was, in true Yorkton form, a gong show.  I think it may be time to point a finger at the Gallagher Centre itself.  There are some areas that are, clearly, marked as a no parking zone and vehicles continue to park there.  Have them towed and collect a bit of revenue.  And, here’s a question I’d like answered from someone ‘in the know’.  Are vehicles allowed to park along the street beside the skateboard park or is that supposed to be a no parking zone?  To me, it looks like two lanes of traffic but folks are using it as a parking lane.   Another thing that’s come up recently as more and more people are starting to support my ‘parking for dummies’ crusade is that some people feel there must be a better place for the big pile of snow other than in the middle of the parking lot.  I have to agree. 

One thing I’d like to see changed is how people park on narrow side streets.  In the winter time, especially, when you have a couple of half-ton trucks parked on either side of the street, it is sometimes not possible to drive down the street to get by.  I would suggest limiting parking on side streets to one side.

Marlene Weber is a good friend and she posted some nasty pictures of an unwelcomed swimming pool on her residential street (Moritz Bay).  Let’s help her get the attention of city officials to see if this matter can be fixed.  There was a ton of water there on Sunday and I can only imagine it’s going to be worse as melting continues.

I wonder, does the Edmonton Oiler scouting staff do any work or do they just listen to Bob McKenzie?  Wouldn’t Dougie Hamilton look better than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in an Oiler uniform today?  What about Ryan Ellis or Dimitri Kulikov instead of Magnus Paajarvi?  As the Oilers are about to miss the playoffs AGAIN (they’ve only advanced past the first round three times since 1993) I am reminded by Oiler fans that this team is young and will, eventually, be the best ever.  Just give them a couple of years.  Well, I remember getting the same message from Oiler fans about a dozen or so years ago and I am now asking how the following worked out for you:  Michel Riesen, Michael Henrich, Jani Rita, Alexei Mikhnov, Brad Winchester, Jesse Niinimaki, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Rob Schremp, Alex Plante, and Riley Nash.  Yes, young guys were acquired in trades too.  I remember waiting for breakout seasons from Ethan Moreau, Mike Comrie, Jochen Hecht, Dan Cleary, Mike Grier, Eric Brewer, Tom Poti, Boyd Devereaux, Josh Green, Mats Lindgren, Mike York, and on and on and on.  The truth hurts.  The Oilers are an even bigger laughingstock than the Maple Leafs.

What happened to the Toronto Blue Jays?  All of a sudden Jose Reyes is hurt, Brett Lawrie still isn’t back and now you have guys like Rajai Davis and Mark DeRosa playing every day.  JP Arencibia, a .220 hitter is batting fifth.  Meanwhile, John Farrell has moved on to Boston and has turned water to wine with John Lester and Clay Buchholz.  Can you imagine the outrage and embarrassment in Toronto if the sad sack Red Sox actually finished ahead of Toronto in the standings?

Nice person mentions this week to Graham Condo, Kevin Foote, Arielle Zerr, Davis Vandane, Dean Shyiak, and Devan Brisebois.