THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 2016 VOL. 73, NO. 97
SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
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HISTORY BY THE KILOBYTE
PERSONAL BESTS FOR INCONNU
THE SWAPPING MONOLOGUES
NEWS A5
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ARTS B5
Peace landowners expropriated BC Hydro signs deals with six of eight landowners as work on Highway 29 realignments set to begin in the new year MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca
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Two sets of landowners in the Peace River valley face expropriation to make way for Site C dam construction. Ken and Arlene Boon, who have been the public face of opposition to the dam, will see much of their Bear Flat farmland taken by BC Hydro after refusing to sign an agreement to sell to the Crown utility. They did, however, sign an agreement that will allow
them to stay in their home until May 31, 2017, and continue farming their river bottom lands for the next three years. The decision was difficult, but practical, the couple said in an interview. “You have to weigh the pros and cons, and start making wise decisions,� said Arlene, whose grandfather first bought the land in the 1940s. “It’s going to be hard moving forward on this.� Added Ken: “It keeps us on the land as long as possible.�
As part of the deal, the Boons agreed to not interfere with the dam’s construction, after being part of a protest camp at the historic Rocky Mountain Fort site earlier this year, and delaying contractors from clearing sections of old growth forest on the south side of the Peace River for the dam’s reservoir. “We will carry on voicing opposition in any peaceful legal way we chose to,� Ken Boon said. See EXPROPRIATION on A7
HE SHOOTS, HE ALMOST SCORES
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Jeff Richert is throwing his hat in the ring for MLA of Peace River North as an independent candidate.
Biologist enters race for Peace River North MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca
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Flyers goalie Troy Hunt slams his mitt down on a loose puck during first period action against the Dawson Creek Senior Canucks Saturday night. The Flyers had a tough go on home ice last weekend against Grande Prairie and Dawson Creek. This weekend, they’ll look to snap their two-game losing streak against Spirit River. Turn to B4 for more.
Work continues to save pharmacy TOM SUMMER For the Alaska Highway News
Officials in Hudson’s Hope are working to stave off closure of the district’s only pharmacy after the death of one of its employees earlier this fall. Stacey Dixon, a long-time resident and assistant at the Hudson’s Hope Pharmasave, died suddenly Oct. 16, leaving the district in a bind as it hopes to meet new provincial rules requiring telepharmacies be staffed by registered pharmacy technicians. Dixon, age 46, was registered to become a qualified technician, only needing a few more courses and a short workexperience practicum to round
out her training. “Stacey was an important part of health care services in Hudson’s Hope,� said Mayor Gwen Johannsson. “We appreciated her dedication and the enormous effort she made to get qualifications that would ensure our community pharmacy would not close.� Small communities like Hudson’s Hope often don’t have a resident pharmacist, relying on telepharmacy instead, where an assistant works under the supervision of a pharmacist in another location. The College of Pharmacists of B.C., the professional association that oversees pharmacies in the province, requires all
telepharmacy employees be fully-trained pharmacy technicians, rather than assistants, by the end of this year. Johannsson also noted that rural healthcare services are often a “fragmented situation.� Telepharmacies exist in the province as private enterprises that act as a supplement to organizations such as Northern Health. The district has no official obligation to provide a pharmacy, but they are more than willing to help facilitate any process to keep it open. See PHARMACY on A4 RELATED: High-tech fibre optic network rolling out in Hudson’s Hope Story/A11
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Biologist and agrologist Jeff Richert has tossed his name into the race for Peace River North in the upcoming provincial election. The 36-year-old will run as an independent candidate, and is just the second contender so far next to Liberal candidate Dan Davies. A Peace Region resident since 2010, Richert says mounting frustrations with provincial policy and party politics in B.C. is motivating his run for office. “I haven’t felt very represented politically,� Richert said. “When I look at the political environment in B.C., I see this kind of American style partyversus-party politics. The message is always, ‘We don’t like what they’re doing,’ and the other party says, ‘Well, we don’t like them.’ “I find that very frustrating. What’s lost in this conversation are the needs of the people.� Richert currently works as a natural resource management advisor for the Nun wa dee Stewardship Society, providing technical advice and support for the West Moberly and Prophet River First Nations. Prior to that, he served as an environmental assessment coordinator for four Treaty 8 First Nations, helping navigate them through the Site C process. A self-described moderate and fiscal conservative, Richert is a staunch opponent of Site C, and laments what he sees as mismanagement of Northeast B.C.’s resources in the public interest. On the one hand, he believes building the Site C dam at an enormous $8.8-billion public cost creates an energy surplus that corners small communities from pursuing localized energy projects in their community’s interest. See ELECTION on A8
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