MALL MAN SENTENCEDThe real estate developer who built the Cloverdale Mall has been sentenced to four years in jail for fraud.Adolf Schiel, 74, and his daughter Sandy Schiel, were found guilty of submitting false GST claims in the early 2000s in relation to two real estate developments on Vancouver Island.Their sentencing hearing took place in December and January, and a provincial court judge sentenced them Feb. 15, according to news reports. HOLD THE REMOTE?Loud TV commercials have been driving Surrey MP Nina Grewal crazy.Now the Conservative MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells has introduced a private member’s bill requiring broadcasters to play ads and TV shows at the same volume.“If you’re watching the TV at a certain volume you’re feeling comfortable with, but all of a sudden, this commercial comes and you’re all over the place,” she said, “looking for your remote and your wife or husband is shouting from the back, ‘put the volume down.’”Bill 621 will be debated in the House of Commons the first week of March and voted on after that.It seems Grewal’s airing of her pet peeve enjoyed some fortuitous timing. Last week, Canada’s regulatory body in charge of broadcasting, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, announced it was seeking comments from viewers on the loudness of TV ads.“Loud ads on television can disrupt an otherwise enjoyable program and are a source of significant annoyance for Canadians,” said CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C. “Viewers should not have to adjust the volume at every commercial break, and we will work with the broadcasting industry to find an acceptable solution.”Interested parties may submit their comments by April 18, 2011. They may do so by filing out the online form at www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2011/r110217.htm, by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by fax, at 819-994-0218.THAT’S WITH A ‘U’Marlene Delcourt is the correct name of the Reporter reader who took the Feb. 18 photo of the week of Cloverdale United Church against a dramatic New Year’s Day sunset.LOADS OF DOUGHLiberal leadership contender Kevin Falcon took in more than $708,000 in campaign contributions, the highest of the four remaining candidates for tomorrow’s race and higher than the spending limit for this type of campaign.Following the example by another contender, Mike de Jong, the Surrey-Cloverdale MLA released his contributor list earlier this week, showing many of his 332 contributors are Surrey-area businesses and companies, including $40,000 from Keg Restaurants and $25,000 from a firm belonging to Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini. Falcon returned to his home riding Thursday night, holding a “Rally in the Valley” at the Alice McKay building at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.LOTS OF B.C. LIBSNearly 50,000 new members signed up by the deadline, B.C. Liberal Party officials say, making them eligible to help pick the next premier tomorrow (Feb. 26).The “dramatic increase” has pushed memberships to the 90,000-range, a clear signal of enthusiasm for the race, party president Mickey Patryluk said.It’s unknown how many new members each leadership candidate will be bringing to the fight; Kevin Falcon’s (Surrey-Cloverdale) backers say they’ve got 17,500; Mike de Jong’s campaign claims more than 10,000; and Christy Clark is expected to have between 20,000 to 26,000.Many of the newbies are believed to have signed up in Surrey, where three campaigners were concentrating on the South Asian community.Tomorrow’s vote is a preferential ballot.– Black Press