| A better future A deaf-blind father hopes to secure a more accessible future im for his son. P4 Theatre for all P7 An advocate fights for increased accessibility in the theatre arts. e 3 Game unchanged Players in a blind hockey tournament say the game is still its classic self. P8 PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS | WWW.LANGARAVOICE.CA NOVEMBER 28, 2018 - Park board officials oversee = the draining of the pond a at Dr. Sun Yat- Sen Classical Chinese Garden. i MATHILDA DE VILLIERS PHOTO Koi survive otter madness An otter is the talk of the town after eating rare koi in garden By MATHILDA DEVILLIERS en precious koi fish were the cost of a crafty ot- ter’s habitation in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classi- cal Chinese Garden in Vancouver's Chinatown neighbourhood. Since the otter took its first help- ing of koi two weeks ago, the Van- couver Park Board has attempted to capture and relocate it without success. The mammal outsmarted authorities and continued to enjoy its new territory in the garden. The critter has been identified as a northern river otter, known to inhabit Burrard Inlet and False Sea otters eat 25 per cent of their body weight in food every day. Otters like to eat sea urchins, clams, mussels and crabs. Creek. It’s not uncommon for them to travel tens of kilometres to find new territory, according to Chris Stinson at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum in said. ‘The Chinese garden’s Facebook page said on Saturday that “after several hours spent in and around the water, we Vancouver. “Tfa predator sees were at last able Stinson, who . to get one koi specializes in an. opportunity to Vancouver mammals, rep- ' on Aquarium for tiles and am- they ll take It. safekeeping.” phibians, said — MICHAEL MANALANG, VANCOUVER It took the that otters can AQUARIUM Vancouver Park migrate from their regular environ- ment for a number of reasons. “If there is any changes from ei- ther human interactions, or changes in climate, or natural things, they'll move to a better food source,” he Otters are clever eaters: they use rocks to open clams and carry food in Board several hours to capture the koi, with three fish still left in the pond. They are now draining the garden's pond to capture the re- maining fish. Michael Manalang, the Vancou- breath for eight minutes their loose armpit skin. River otters can hold their while swimming for food. ver Aquarium’s primary freshwater biologist, said that the behaviour of the otter is not uncommon, as residential fish ponds are regularly raided by creatures like river otters, raccoons and herons. “If a predator sees an opportunity they'll take it,” he said. Manalang believes that the story is getting a lot of attention because the garden is a staple for Vancou- ver tourism, and the staff who work there have built relationships with the animals. “There’s such diverse wildlife in this province so anything relating to wild otters, river otters, people really latch onto it,” he said. Otters will wrap themselves in seaweed and float together in their sleep. VOL. 50 NO. 8» VANCOUVER, B.C. Witness testified force ‘betrayed’ senior officer By NICK LABA he RCMP sacrificed one of its own senior officers in order to shift focus from its role in the death of a Polish immi- grant, a witness testified Tuesday at the inquest into the suicide of Ser- geant Pierre Lemaitre. Atoya Montague, a former com- munications strategist for Canada’s national police force, testified Tues- day about her working relationship with Pierre Lemaitre whose death was the subject of the coroner’s in- quest. “Tt was the single biggest institutional betrayal I've witnessed.” —ATOYA MONTAGUE, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIST “It was the single biggest institu- tional betrayal I’ve witnessed in my 15 years,” Montague said Tuesday at the inquest being held in Burn- aby. She said on the witness stand that the RCMP “sacrificed” Lemai- tre by not allowing him to correct inaccurate information, giving him a reputation as the force’s “spin doc- tor.” Lemaitre was the media relations officer who za ted as the ROC MP spokesperson after four officers were involved in the taser death of Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport in 2007. A coroner’s inquest into Lemai- tre’s death began on Monday. He died by suicide in July 2013 after battling clinical depression, anxiety and PTSD for the better part of a decade. The coroner's office is responsible for investigating unexpected deaths in the province and making rec- ommendations to improve public safety. Dziekanski died after being sur- rounded by four RCMP officers who were called to the Interna- tional arrivals area after reports of an agitated man. Please see INQUEST HEARS, page 2