Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Globe and Mail:Mothers of Bathurst, N.B. bus crash victims want probe into movie tax credit



Click here to read original article in the Globe and Mail

BATHURST, N.B.— The Canadian Press

Three New Brunswick mothers whose sons were killed in a crash near Bathurst in January 2008 have written the province's auditor general.

They want Kim MacPherson to investigate the granting of a 250-thousand-dollar film tax credit.

The tax credit was given to the makers of a proposed movie stemming from the crash that killed seven high school basketball players.

The storyline for the Dream Street Pictures and CBC production picks up a year after the tragedy when the Bathurst Phantoms were able to win a provincial basketball title.

But mothers Isabelle Hains, Ana Acevedo and Marcella Kelly say it's too soon to make a film.

Ms. Hains and Ms. Acevedo recently filed a complaint with the provincial ombudsman.

They're hoping to reverse a decision by school officials to allow filming of parts of the movie at the high school.

Acting ombudsman Francois Levert has agreed to look into the complaint and determine whether his office has jurisdiction to make any recommendations.

That could take several months.