Outlaw motorcycle gangs warrant concern, P.E.I. premier says

Premier Wade MacLauchlan talks to media after a news conference regarding motorcycle gangs at Holland College on Jan. 19. MacLauchlan told the media outlaw gangs threaten the public’s safety. Daniel Brown photo.   

By Daniel Brown

Jan. 19, 2017

            The P.E.I. government is taking steps to keep Islanders safe from outlaw motorcycle gangs, Premier Wade MacLauchlan said during a news conference at Holland College on Jan. 19.

        The conference was focused on addressing the Hells Angels, an outlaw motorcycle gang with a history of violence. Their increased presence on the Island warrants concern, MacLauchlan said.

       “It would be easy to dismiss these gangs as motorcycle clubs.”

       The provincial government plans to prohibit body armour sales. It also recommends that charities set a code of ethics for accepting donations from outlaw gangs, MacLauchlan said.

       “If charities accept donations [from outlaw motorcycle gangs], they may be supporting drugs in our community.”

       There have been many non-violent motorcycle clubs on the Island for years. While the Hells Angels are historically violent, they’re more recently involved with trafficking illegal drugs like cocaine, which could spread to the Island, MacLauchlan.

       “We must empower law enforcement so they can take necessary steps to protect islanders.”

       RCMP Cpl. Andy Cook is the outlaw motorcycle gang coordinator for P.E.I. He defined motorcycle groups as any group of motorcycle enthusiasts that are united under group rules.

       “Ninety-nine per cent of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens, one per cent don’t feel they have to abide by laws.”

       Motorcycle group members use patches to show where they are from, to rank their power within the group, and to symbolize their group’s support for them.

       The Hells Angels recently bought a small building on 205 Fitzroy Street in Charlottetown as their hangout. They have visited P.E.I. increasingly these past years, thinking of it as a sanctuary because police don’t bother them on the Island, Cook said.

       “I don’t know about you, but that makes me mad.”

       Outlaw gangs claim that they are just motorcycle enthusiasts, but police want reports of any illegal behaviour citizens know of. The Hells Angels are used to getting along with citizens, as well as non-violent motorcycle clubs, Cook said.

       “Because they’re the big dog.”

       Deputy Chief Brad MacConnell said organized crime affects families in ways people don’t realize, especially when it comes to drugs. Outlaw gangs also utilize technology such as GPS and eTransfers to make drug trafficking easier, he said.

Police are drafting recommendations to the P.E.I Liquor Control Commission for dealing with outlaw gang members, MacConnell said.

        “Public safety isn’t solely a police responsibility.”

Between the Altar and the Stars - Science fiction and fantasy writers discuss Catholic storytelling

Stephen Kotowych talks at the Pourhouse in Charlottetown on Jan. 19 about science fiction and faith. His talk was part of the Theology on Tap presentation series. Daniel Brown photo.    

By Daniel Brown

Jan 20, 2017

             Stephen Kotowych would wake up on Sunday mornings to prepare for church when he was a boy,

            One morning he discovered that reruns of a TV show called Star Trek aired at 10 a.m.

            “What is that?”

            Tuning into the interstellar adventures of Captain Kirk and crew became routine for Kotowych. However, church started at 11 a.m., so he could only ever watch half the episode. He had to leave early as he was an altar boy.

            When he was older, his aunt gave him an old, worn copy of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

            It was the most grown-up book Kotowych had read to that point. When he mentioned it to his cousins, they asked if he had read the others in Tolkien’s series.

            “There are more like this?”
            Today, Kotowych is the author of Seven Against Tomorrow, a collection of seven award-winning short stories in the science fiction genre.

Kotowych gave a presentation titled Between the Altar and the Stars at the Pourhouse in Charlottetown on Jan. 19. It was about the world of science fiction and Catholic storytelling, and his experience reading and writing both.

Kotowych is a practicing Catholic, but his stories aren’t written as faith allegories. They may be open to faith or the supernatural, but he focuses on writing characters with strong moral centres, he said.

“Even if it’s not a morality I share… that is something I find very attractive in fiction.”

One of his stories is about an athlete who becomes genetically enhanced because the competitor think it’s a fair way to win. Kotowych doesn’t agree, so writing the story was a way to process how someone would think that way.

“Hopefully, the reader will see in it a different perspective.”

A common theme in science fiction is grim, dystopian futures, but Kotowych’s stories have hopefulness to them. They weren’t written this way, or as a collection, he said.

“I think it was an unconscious motivation.”

Kotowych separated science fiction from fantasy by looking at the stories of Star Trek and Star Wars. The former relies on its scientific elements, and is based more on reality. The latter doesn’t require either.

“You could tell the same story in a fantasy world.”

There was another Catholic writer attending Kotowych’s presentation, with more experience in fantasy.

Denise Pierlot, who uses her maiden name Mallett when writing, is the author of The Tree, a Christian medieval fantasy novel. Faith is more allegorical in her writing, having constructed her own religion parallel to Christianity in the story.

When Pierlot was young, she loved creating stories. In Grade 3, she wrote a story that was 12 pages long.

When she was 13 she had a dream about a magical tree. She started coming up with a story about it.

At 17, she decided to write the story down.

However, Pierlot scrapped everything about the story except for the tree and came up with something new. She finished her novel when she was 19.

Now, Pierlot is finishing the sequel in the series, The Blood.

While writing, Pierlot asked her father if she should write about God. He said she didn’t have too, just so long as the characters and story are good, true, and beautiful.

“Because it all points to God,” Pierlot said.

Her story draws inspiration from her own struggles and triumphs in faith. It’s important to avoid the tropes of both faith and fantasy when combining the two in writing, she said.

“[The key is] not being cliché and corny, and writing something that will truly resonate in someone.”

As for faith and science fiction, Kotowych says the challenge is traditionally they’re not related. This requires knowledge of what readers are looking for, he said.

“Who’s reading this and what are they looking for in their reading experience?”

In order to include religion, the science fiction has to be well told. It has to overcome the biases on religion, Kotowych said.

“It needs to be an element but it needs to be honest.”

         Kotowych’s next project is a fiction novel about the friendship between scientist Nikola Tesla and writer Mark Twain. While the two were friends, Kotowych imagines there may have been a secret, fantastical side to the story.
         Pierlot hopes to have The Blood on shelves this year.

Francophone Friday at Timothy’s Café offers ‘a little taste of home.’

Emilie Montgomery is ready to serve Timothy’s customers on the Jan. 13 Francophone Friday. While the French-themed food is popular, the coffee is still important. Daniel Brown photo.    

By Daniel Brown

Jan. 16, 2017

It was Friday, Jan. 13, and Timothy’s Cafe in Charlottetown had a steady stream of customers all morning.

Blue, white, red and yellow balloons decorated the cafe. Shortly before lunch, musicians set up instruments in the back corner, where Acadian flags hung.

Tyler Gallant of Gallant’s Shellfish & Seafood took up his position opposite the cash register. He offered non-menu items like oysters, croissants, seafood chowder, lobster quiche, and pets de soeurs - pastries similar to cinnamon rolls.

Meanwhile, Emilie Montgomery had been serving bagels and pouring coffee since 9 a.m.

The clock struck 11:45 a.m.

A customer walked through the front door. Montgomery was posted on the front lines.

She turned to greet them.

“Hello bonjour.”

Francophone Friday had begun.

Montgomery is the only worker at Timothy’s who speaks French, having grown up in an Acadian family. She plays an important role in Francophone Friday, an event focused on gathering the French-community to celebrate its heritage.

She appeared in all the promotional material for the event and she headlines customer and sponsor relations. Her focus during the event is to let customers know she speaks French on Fridays, she said.

“A lot of people come in here and say ‘Oh hey, you’re the girl from the commercial.’ People just start a conversation with me now, and they recognize me as being French. So a lot of people will start speaking with me in French.”

The event started in November and has grown rapidly. On Jan. 13, about 200 were expected, with every table near the musicians booked.

Montgomery said many French people find it difficult to be in their own culture, especially in cities. Cashiers at grocery stores only speak English, so it’s nice for people to know they can speak their own language when they’re at Timothy’s.

“I find a lot of the time, you’re sitting in a circle of all French people and there’s one English person. Everyone will start speaking English to accommodate that person.”

Before Francophone Friday, Montgomery noticed customers with French accents and she wanted to speak French, but they spoke to her in English. The environment at Timothy’s breaks that wall, she said.

Montgomery has had summer jobs where she spoke French, but this time of year she doesn’t have much opportunity to practice it. Francophone Friday has allowed her to diversify, learning the dialects of francophones in Charlottetown, including people who are from France, Quebec and Belgium, she said.

“That gives me an opportunity to speak, I guess a more standard French.”

It’s not just French people who visit during Francophone Friday. It has sparked in interest in the overall community, and many are coming in just out of curiosity, Montgomery said.

“People are coming in around 11 o’clock saying ‘is the seafood ready yet?’ ‘No, not yet, it’s coming.’”

Montgomery has learned many of Timothy’s regulars speak French, but they didn’t realize she could too.

“So that’s really neat, you know, just being able to recognize faces as they come in throughout the week and just have a conversation with them in French.”

Francophone Friday has helped Montgomery, as an Acadian, celebrate being French in an English community. It has also been important for the French population in Charlottetown, she said

“It’s like getting a little taste of home. Especially those who are traveling, who work here from abroad, just to be able to come in and speak their native language.”