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Dragon Boat Team Victim of Theft

Tuesday, June 30, 2015 @ 4:07 PM

northbreast2

Northbreast Passage Team at event  last summer – photo  courtesy NorthBreast Passage Dragon Boat  team

Prince George, B.C.- Major setback for the Northbreast Passage Dragon Boat team of Prince George.

Sometime between Sunday June 21st and   Monday June 29th, the team’s equipment building at Camp Hughes on West Lake, was broken into.

Gone are 9 lifejackets and two paddles.

The loss comes as the team is preparing for the annual Dragon Boat Festival in Penticton  that is set for  mid September.

“This is a major kick in the pants for us” says team Vice President Sharon Parrett. She says the loss is another hurdle for the team members who already face major challenges, “All of our paddlers have either had, or have been diagnosed with breast cancer” says Parrett.

While the Northbreast Passage Dragon Boat Society has insurance, she says it isn’t yet clear if the value of the loss will be fully covered by the team’s insurance, which means the paddlers will have to pony up at least some of the money themselves.

It’s not just the 9  missing jackets that will have to be replaced says Parrett,  even those that were left behind  will have  to be  replaced as the lifejackets are the team’s uniform and all have to match.  In all, 28  jackets will have to be replaced and not just any lifejacket will  do “The life jackets have to be extra light and be cut low in the arms so paddlers have full mobility and won’t overheat”.

The Northbreast Dragon Boat team gets out in the community to raise awareness of breast cancer and to support those who have been or are on this cancer journey. “We also attend dragon boat festivals to meet with others who can share their experiences as a means of support.”northbreastlogo

Seven of the stolen jackets are sized s/m, the other two were XL. All of the jackets are numbered, and all carry the Northbreast Passage Dragon Boat logo. ( shown at right)

The Dragon Boat team was not the only victim here, as Camp Hughes also lost two canoes from the Guide camp.

Anyone with any information on this theft is asked to contact the RCMP.

Comments

We really need to take crime seriously in the Greater Prince George Area.

Crime is on the up swing. I think that we have had enough of the phrase the perps are known to the Police.

So we need heavier sentencing???? The prison in Prince George is for sentences of two years less a day. Perhaps we need to give out some sentence in excess of two years. This would put the criminals in the BC Penitentiary and perhaps reduce their will to continue a life of crime.

Of course we would be told that all our prisons are full, and that we cannot continue to house prisoners as they do in the USA, that we need a good rehabilitation program. etc etc etc;.

The fact of the matter is we have too many criminals in a town of this size and its time we took a serious look at the problem.

The Police in Prince George report to the Mayor and Council. We pay their wages, so perhaps the Mayor needs to take the initiative to ensure that we are getting value for money spent.

Penitentiary time is expensive time for us taxpayers. Did you know it costs $177,000 per inmate to house them in our Federal Penitentiarys?

www. edmontonsun.com/2014/03/18/federal-inmate-cost-soars-to-177gs-each-per-year

I don’t think longer jail time is the answer, use that $177 grand to pay for rehabilitative and prevention services. Throw that money into high risk youth, address and prevent crime, don’t just punish it.

So all they lost were some life jackets, they left in an abandoned building all year? A couple of oars? You guys really left this way out at west lake, and expected them to be there? Sounds like they need a dose of reality. Team members take your life jackets home with you.

“$177,000 per inmate to house”

that’s insane, why does it cost so much?

@ pgbcca1; copy and paste the link I posted to your web browser address bar, then delete the space between the www. and the e.

It’s all in that Edmonton Sun story.

It’s $117,788 according to that article. It doesn’t really explain how the costs break down.

What an absolutely STUPID theft, not that there’s a good or intelligent one.

If crooks were smart, prisons would be empty.

Back in 2012 is cost $113,974 to lodge an inmate in a federal prison. That cost was up 30% from four years previous.

The annual $2.3 Billion bill for the country’s 53 penitentiaries works out to $312 per prisoner, per day, according to a report from Corrections Canada in 2012.

Apparently there are three factors that led to the rise in costs;

1. Pressure from the prison ombudsman to improve quality of life behind bars.

2. An aging inmate population that requires geriatric care,.

3. Increased costs related to prisoners with psychiatric problems.

The mental health issue is a **major issue** said Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu.

**We must sit down with the Provinces to better prevent and supervise mental health to avoid criminalizing it.

So there are some of the reasons for the high cost of holding people in prison. The cost is much higher to-day than in 2012 .

The idea that we can rehabilitate these prisoners has been around for a very long time, and yes, some do get rehabbed, however more criminals come on board every year to take the place of the rehab. One good stat is the fact that crime is actually down in Canada, even if the cost of crime is rising.

Another interesting stat is the fact that at any given time an average of 152,600 individuals are under the supervision of Correctional Service Agencies in Canada. Of the 152,600 there were approx. 32,100 adult prisoners in custody, and 120,500 under supervision in the community. These totals include both federal and provincial prisoners.

So a huge majority of prisoners are out under parole, living in halfway houses, etc; and not in the prison system at all.

Its interesting to note that the cost of having alternatives such as probation, bail supervision, and community supervision range from $5-$25/day.

So its pretty obvious why they want to keep them out of prison.

We can discuss the pro’s and con’s if the Canadian system of justice until the cows come home, however the bottom line is.

Criminals are being released into the community as a cost saving measure, and even though they are on parole, or some sort of supervision, they continue to commit crimes. Hence the saying **The people who committed the crime are known to the police**.

People pay taxes not necessarily to put people into jail, but to ensure that society is safe. Having criminals constantly breaking into business, houses, fighting in the streets, shooting each other, and basically doing whatever the hell they please is not right. We need to take control of the situation to ensure that our streets and the people who use them can do so in a safe manner.

I don’t expect much from any politician on this issue. Lets remember that the really important things to-day are, Site-C, LNG, Enbridge Pipeline, etc; etc;. This is where the action is.

PG101: Your sarcasm and attitude are not appreciated.

I haven’t heard one person on this blog willing to step up and help the Northbreast Passage Dragon Boat team deal with their current situation. All I’ve read are self-serving comments about should’ve, would’ve, could’ve and plenty of blame directed toward the straw man of ‘government, police and someone else’s problem.’ You should be ashamed of yourselves.

I’ll offer $1000 toward their situation tomorrow, and not a single person will ever know my name. That’s the way the real backbone of Prince George (not the ever-entitled whining Complain-250 crowd) works.

First paragraph knocks us down, second paragraph builds himself up… interesting.

Hey Sophie’s Second and Far More Embarrassing Choice, I’m not building myself up. I’m standing exactly where I am, and have always been since I came to live in this community.

But yes, I am knocking you down, as a representative of the incessantly complaining class that wants someone else to solve your problems, and help you get ahead in life. That seems to be the majority of the clientele at Complain-250.

It was mildly entertaining with the old guy Muppets on the balcony in the late 1970’s. It’s not so entertaining now when real adults try to solve real world problems with real solutions.

A local good works organization has a distinct problem and they need help from the community. The ‘Sophic Sage’ starts an irrelevant thread about penitentiary jail time.

Why not start solving the problems in front of your beaky nose before venturing out into more esoteric territory? Or, put more simply, put up, or shut up.

Sorry to burst your bubble VOR, but no amount of good-will money donations to pay for stuff, after it has been stolen, will help solve the problem; which is theft and crime. We are discussing various approaches to either addressing these types of crimes, or preventing it.

Nice that you would present yourself as stepping up an donate some money towards the worthy cause that is this group of individuals. Unfortunately in the virtual world of on-line blogging, anyone can say anything about themselves, that may, or may not, be true.

Example: Would you be surprised that I donated $5,000 to the Red Cross during the Ebola outbreak in Africa? Maybe I did, Maybe I didn’t, will you followup and donate $1,000 to this deserving group of individuals? Maybe you will, maybe you won’t.

Soapbox Sophie………….horse poo, a good will donation does help solve the problem, the immediate problem of the paddlers. That is the stuff that news articles are made from. People chipping in to help where help in needed. Not people like you that sit back and think you have the solutions and yap flap.The real do-ers of the community contribute and make things happen, most times without fanfare. When was the last time you have been to a fundraiser for CNC, UNBC or UHNBC……or SPCA or or or…..?
Many of us give back to the community in ways you could only dream about.

‘PG101: Your sarcasm and attitude are not appreciated.’ – Aww cute, you don’t share the same opinion as me, so you take offense to it.

Perhaps someone can explain to PG101 that by June 30 the ice is off the lake and they are practicing. Secondly someone could perhaps explain to this expert what “break in” means. Finally the thrust of his comment is his concept that they left everything in an “abandoned ” building. Interesting technique invent facts and then criticize on the basis of them.

ImFrank; you don’t know the first thing about me, and you do not know how many 100s if not 1,000s of hours of volunteer time I have put into this community through non-profit organizations, and in various capacities. So… let’s not assume shall we?

Welp, we had a good discussion thread going, which changed at precisely at 9:18 pm. Now it’s degraded down into a pissing contest about who contributes more to the community.

Sad to hear of the theft. With all that this team has gone through with cancer etc. they still keep going and give hope and inspiration for others.

They recently donated around a thousand dollars to the Hospice house from previous fund raising – keeping it in the community. This money was raised by bake sales.

I hope they get past this set back.

The jackets look unique so hopefully someone comes across them. On the bright side someone is listening to the Red Cross and taking water safety seriously. Head out to any of he local lakes on a hot day and I bet half the people out there don’t even have life jackets in the boat. Skip Timmies on your way to the lake and take your $20 and go to Walmart or Canadian Tire and get a life jacket! They don’t have to be fancy to work.

Didn’t see anywhere in the article where these people were asking for financial help. In fact they state that they have insurance and don’t at this time know how much extra they might have to pay.

If and when the call goes out for a donation I’m sure that the people of PG will take the necessary action.

So the article is about the break in. The break in brings us to crime in the greater Prince George area, and its cost to the community.

What we have here is the merry go round effect of crime.

Articles are stolen. Victims makes claims against insurance company, insurance companys raise rate of insurance to cover increased costs. Average citizens insurance goes up even though he was not a victim of the crimes committed.

Criminal goes to court and is convicted, and is then out under some sort of supervision. Huge policing and court costs to this point.

Criminal on parole, or supervised release commits another crime. Victims make claim against insurance co. You get my drift.

In an ideal world, publicly humiliating those who buy stolen goods would be good way to start a downward trend in break & enters. Ultimately these people create the market where crime does in fact pay for thieves.

I find it bizarre that Canadians have embraced Chinese dragon boat racing . Yet have not embraced Canadians own cultural past in the form of York boats and canoes that helped to create this country . whats next Yak racing ?

The whole conversation has gone off the rails, predictably!

The thieves stole items which are unique and costly to replace. Nobody is going to give the thieves any money for them. Who is going to paddle on any lake wearing a stolen PFD?

Don’t dump them in the bush! Just drop them off at the place where the Society is located!

That way you can show that you are sorry and that there you still have a bit of conscience left!

Just do it!

Why not embrace Dragon Boat Racing? Canoe and Kayak are Olympic sports (since 1936) so they don’t need much more embracing.

I agree with Prince George. Not a lot of thought went into this robbery. On the other hand it seems they took certain sizes as opposed to all the jackets. Hmmmmm.

Canoe definition = a narrow, keelless boat with pointed ends, propelled by a paddle or paddles.

static01.nyt.com/images/2014/01/05/travel/05PURSUITS4/05PURSUITS4-articleLarge.jpg

The nearest Canoe-Kayak club to PG is in Kamloops.

PG is too far from most any place to embrace much of anything. It takes people to embrace something. For those who are interested in North American war canoe, voyageur canoe, cargo canoe, Haida canoe racing ,etc. start embracing.

The Britannia Yacht Club in Ottawa has had war canoe racing since the early 1900s.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Britannia_Boat_Club_war_canoe_crew_c_1906_at_Britannia_Yacht_Club.JPG
ladies war canoe Britannia – upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/War_canoe_2.jpg

canoekayak.ca/go-paddling/war-canoe

From the site:
“The energy of fifteen paddlers charging down the lake in an iconic Canadian boat is simply astonishing. Multiply that by nine lanes and you can see why this timeless demonstration of power and teamwork is a favourite race at the Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Championships. Fifteen paddlers, each up on one knee, bring the war canoe to life on the water as they paddle with synchronicity and intensity. War canoe racing has a long and cherished history in Canada. Canada is the only country in the world to race war canoe and it is the focal point of the club system.”

“Canoes” are not unique to Canada nor the USA. Neither are large “war” canoes. They are found on all continents of the world and have been a traditional way of human powered water travel for many centuries and millennia.

A dragon boat is merely an Asian version of a world-wide canoe.

BTW, Olympic canoe racing goes to C-2 only (two person crew.) Kayak goes to K-4.

If one wants to see Voyageur type of cargo canoes, one would have to go to Quebec. York boats? Try that province as well.

For the information of Attaloss the worldwide spread of dragon boat racing as a rehab therapy for cancer survivors began in Vancouver and the vision and commitment of Dr. don Mackenzie 20 years ago this past May. Canada is the home and birthplace of this movement and is acknowledged as such at every major competition!

Wow, what a ton of ridiculous comments. I stopped caring after about 5. There’s only so much pontificating one can tolerate.

For York boats try Norway house Manitoba . They were first built there and crossed our country from coast to coast to coast . It’s far to under celebrated . I agree canoes and kayaks are not just a Canadian things . They were first built by Norwegians at Norway house from an old Viking design so that they could be wheeled or dragged on rollers for portage . They were the nut and bolts that tied the country together . They shouldn’t be forgotten .

‘Perhaps someone can explain to PG101 that by June 30 the ice is off the lake and they are practicing. Secondly someone could perhaps explain to this expert what “break in” means. Finally the thrust of his comment is his concept that they left everything in an “abandoned ” building. Interesting technique invent facts and then criticize on the basis of them.’

– I’m sorry your crew isn’t bright enough to bring their life jackets home, rather than leave them at Camp Hughes where it is commonly invaded every other weekend by boaters. If this article were about someone who left their car overnight on George St, with a wallet on the seat, and it was stolen.. I wonder how your comments would be?

Don’t leave items out in the wilderness, and be shocked if they are stolen. Do you leave items visible in your car overnight? It sucks your items were stolen, but it’s not as if you did your best to secure them if you left them at Camp Hughes…..

Replace your life jackets, get on with life.

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