THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018 Vol. 75, No. 16
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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keeping birds nested
plaza plans in store for charlie lake
boxing for the golden gloves
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honouring humboldt
matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
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ELC students CJ Schreyer, Toni Balmas, Jordan Fuhr, and Amie Chapple dropped by the #humboldtstrong display at the Pomeroy Sport Centre before heading to class on April 12, wearing their jerseys to pay respect to the victims and families impacted by the Humboldt Broncos bus crash tragedy on April 6.
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Fort St. John dog park site proposals unveiled matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
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Upgrades to Toboggan Hill Park top the list of five potential sites identified for an off leash dog park in Fort St. John. Residents got a sneak peek at the sites being considered at an open house April 12. It’s the first step before detailed designs are drafted and then presented to city council for approval later matt preprost Photo this year. City staff work with community stakeholders on design concepts for a potential new dog “We’re excited to get park at Toboggan Hill Park on April 12, 2018. this done,” said Wally Ferris, the city’s general manager of community services. off leash area already large dogs. A tree buffer liminary plan. The city has exists but is too im- would be retained for Developing that area budgeted $500,000 for practical for dogs. homes along 96A Av- of the park for public dog park development The city is looking at enue, while the forest use will help the city in 2018 after com- sprucing up the fores- would be cleaned up clear out the homeless plaints from both dog ted area along 93 Street of overgrown scrub camps that often set owners about the lack and north of the skate brush, including up there, Ferris said, of space, and residents park, an area that’s un- caragana and willow. calling it crime prevenfrustrated by encoun- derutilized and a good The park is already tion through environtering off leash dogs on fit for development, serviced by water, and mental design. city trails and in parks. Ferris said. there are plans on the “Making the park The top site under The park is already books to build wash- more useable will consideration at last fenced along 93 Street, rooms at the skate make it more safe,” week’s meeting was and would include park, Ferris noted. An Ferris said. Toboggan Hill Park, multiple entrances, expanded parking lot where a small, fenced and areas for small and is identified in the preSee DOG PARK on A5
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A two-hour meeting between Canada’s prime minister and the premiers of B.C. and Alberta on Sunday failed to establish certainty on the path forward for building the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. B.C. Premier John Horgan plans to continue with a court reference to determine whether the province has the authority to restrict the flow of diluted bitumen from Alberta; Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has introduced a new law to give her energy minister extraordinary powers to restrict oil and gas exports from her province; and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sent his finance minister to negotiate a deal with Kinder Morgan to backstop financial risks to the company — if it decides it still wants to carry on with the $7.4-billion project. Caught in between are two Fort St. John pipeline contractors selected to build parts of the expansion through B.C., that are ready to work but waiting idle through uncertainty and delay. “The pressure is real,” said Sean Surerus, president of Surerus Pipeline. “We’ve had to change construction window a couple times already, but this one is looking more tenuous because there are a number of significant investors very concerned about where this project can go. Without capital to do the work there’s a challenge, and without regulatory certainty and a path ahead there’s a lot of waiting and worrying for a lot of people, including us.” Surerus shares a 50 per cent stake with London-based J. Murphy & Sons in the Surerus Murphy Joint Venture, selected to build 185 kilometres of pipeline in the B.C. Interior between Black Pines and Merritt. Fort St. John’s Macro Industries and France’s Spiecapag have a joint venture project selected to to build 85 kilometres of pipeline in the Coquihalla-Hope area. Combined, the two companies would be responsible for building nearly one-third of the pipeline, employing up to 700 people each over two years, Surerus said. Surerus Murphy is still negotiating its contract with Kinder Morgan, however, Surerus said he has 11 project managers employed to support ongoing permitting and planning. See PIPELINE on A9
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