THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 2016 VOL. 73, NO. 79
SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
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Fort Nelson residents face Fortis rate hike Rates would amount to $33-$59 increase in 2017 and 2018 JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca
Fort Nelson residents struggling with one of the worst natural gas downturns in a generation could soon have to pay more for the gas that heats their homes. FortisBC is seeking to increase natural gas delivery charges for Fort Nelson customers by just under 7 per cent over each of the next two years, according to an application filed with the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC).
In the application, FortisBC says it needs to hike delivery charges to make up for a revenue shortfall brought on by a decrease in demand for natural gas. FortisBC spokesperson Michael Allison said the increases amount to $33 and $35 a year between 2017 and 2018. Tannis Braithwaite, executive director of the BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre, pegged the hikes at around $59 and $35 over the next two years. The proposed increase comes
at a time when hundreds have been laid off from Fort Nelson’s natural gas fields, as the industry scales back drilling due to low prices and market uncertainty. Kristi Leer, spokesperson for the industry advocacy group Fort Nelson for LNG, said many in the community of 3,900 are already struggling to pay their bills. “The increases will hit my home for sure, and the gas bills are already high,� she said. Breadwinners in many families have been forced to find work
Missing and murdered indigenous women
Questions of power, change as inquiry called
elsewhere, while continuing to pay mortgages and bills on unsellable homes in Fort Nelson, she added. “People aren’t able to afford anything, and they’re stuck here. There’s nothing for them to do and there’s nowhere for them to go.� According to the BCUC filing, FortisBC is expecting a revenue shortfall of $103,000 beginning in 2017. The main driver has been decreased demand from commercial customers as well as capital costs. See RATE HIKE on A8
Taylor golf ball move too costly MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca
Moving Taylor’s landmark giant golf ball has turned out to be too costly to justify. On Monday, Aug. 8, the district’s recreation committee opted to recommend that council authorize housing developer Taylor North Developments to dismantle and dispose of the monument, which stands in the way of the company’s plans for more homes adjacent to the Lone Wolf Golf Course. The district issued a request for proposals in July to move the structure 125 metres east of its current location. But the bids received placed the cost of the work north of $40,000, not including any refurbishments or annual costs. “I find the costs hard to justify,� said Coun. Betty Ponto.
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Connie Greyeyes, a Fort St. John campaigner for missing and murdered women, is hopeful a national inquiry’s findings will make indigenous women safer.
Missing and murdered women campaigner cautiously optimistic about upcoming inquiry JONNY WAKEFIELD
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A Fort St. John activist says she’s cautiously optimistic after the federal government released details of a longawaited national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. On Aug. 3, Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett unveiled plans for the inquiry, including its scope and terms of reference. Five commissioners led by B.C. Provincial Court Judge Marion Buller will investigate the root causes of violence against First Nations women, who are more likely to go missing or die by violence than members of the non-indigenous population. Holding an inquiry was a key pledge of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during last year’s fed-
Human rights group Amnesty International releases report on the impacts of resource development on First Nations in Northeast B.C.; calls on Trudeau government to suspend Site C permitting Read more on A4
eral election campaign. While originally cheered by First Nations rights activists, the inquiry has come under fire over fears it will not adequately investigate police conduct. Connie Greyeyes, a Fort St. John campaigner for missing and murdered women, said she’s hopeful the inquiry’s findings will make indigenous women safer. “On the one hand it’s ‘Oh my God, they’re actually going to do this inquiry,’� she said. “And on the other hand, is it actually going to do anything?�
Greyeyes said she personally knows 14 women from the Peace Region who have gone missing or been murdered. For years, she has attended vigils with Sisters in Spirit in Ottawa to highlight the problem in Northeast B.C. The Northeast B.C. delegation’s presence at the vigils attracted the attention of Amnesty International, which released a report on resource extraction, the Site C dam and violence against women this week.
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Board denies Yellow Cabs bid MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca
The Passenger Safety Board has denied Yellow Cabs’ bid to add 21 new taxis to the streets of Fort St. John. In a decision released Aug. 3, the board found the company failed to prove there was a public need to double the number of cabs in the city and introduce a major new competitor into the market. “The goal is to always improve transportation service, not simply get competition to the point where it’s destructive,� board chair Don Zurowski said in an interview. Yellow Cabs applied for 21 new plates, saying it would address long wait times and customer service complaints with current operators. See CABS on A8
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