AHN FEB 21 2019 by Alaska Highway News

THURSDAY, february 21, 2019 Vol. A-75, No. 8

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A2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Local News

contents

freedom to think

A3 A6 A9 A11 A15 B1 B6

News Opinion High On Ice Court Docket Coffee Corner Sports Classifieds

Members of the Baldonnel Women’s Institute dropped by the Freedom Thinker’s School on Wednesday, February 13, to present a $5,000 donation in support of local education. Freedom Thinkers is an independent school that focuses on project-based learning. Cushway started the school on her farm in Baldonnel in 2014.

this week’s flyers

February has been proclaimed Women’s Institute Month, celebrated annually across Canada in honour of WI founder Adelaide Hunter Hoodless, and local WIs such as the ones in the North Peace: Baldonnel, North Pine, and Nor’ Pioneer in Cecil Lake.

Jysk Ashley Staples No Frills Safeway The Brick Canadian Tire Save-On Foods Home Hardware Shoppers Drug Mart Pipeline News North

From left: Norma Beaudoin, Laura Lee Life, Sandra Cushway, Ruby McBeth, Ruth Large, Carreen Forest, Norma Currie, and Ethelann Stewart.

Sad news from the planet Mars GAS WATCH KNOWBEFOREYOUGO Prevailing Prices Dawson Creek

113.9

Fort St. John

127.9

B.C. Average

125.1

Alberta Average

100.7

SPACE PLUMBING: Let’s begin this news chewing session in Earth’s orbit. A Canadian astronaut on the International Space Station repaired the leaky toilet. Fixing a space toilet is hard. In zero-gravity, that “jiggle the handle” thing doesn’t work. I remember the episode of “Star Trek” where the toilet on the USS Enterprise was out of order. Captain Kirk had nowhere to “boldly go.” SPEAKING OF SPACE: On CBC, an astronomer said the universe is expanding, but the rate of expansion is slowing down. Billions of years from now it will eventually stop expanding. OK, here’s my question: When the universe stops expanding, will it still take forever to drive from Fort St John to Edmonton?

exercising for them. TRUDEAU TROUBLE: The big news out of Ottawa involves Prime Minister Trudeau being accused of interfering in the judicial process of a corruption case. This demonstrates the fundamental difference between the American system and the Canadian system. The U.S. president has a couple of dozen disgusting scandals, but the Canadian PM has only one disgusting scandal.

Bob Snyder Chews the news

that place is. We’ll meet there with picnic baskets. MARS MEMO: Sad news from Mars. NASA announced that, after 15 years exploring the Red Planet, the Mars Opportunity Rover is dead. Here’s my question: If scientists can make a robot that drives around Mars for 15 years, how come they can’t make a microwave turntable that doesn’t flip off the track every time I use it?

VERY VEGAN: Popular singer Beyonce announced she will give free concert tickets to fans who go vegan. Hey, if her fans eat meat, how will she know? Is Beyonce going to stand at the door sniffing the audience as they enter, checking everybody for bacon breath?

Saskatchewan Avg. 102.0- Environment t St. John, BC - 7 Day Forecast Canada Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of

ROMANCE REPORT: Thursday was

BATMAN BEN: Actor Ben Affleck anhttps://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-78_metric_e.html BURGER BLAZE: In Winnipeg, fire nounced he will not return as Batman. the year. Saint Valentine was an ancient ripped through an A&W restaurant. As Just to clear up one point: Batman is not Manitoba Average preacher who was killed for selling over- firefighters battled the blaze, customers a superhero. His only superpower was 97.1 priced candy and flowers. By the way: Did continued to line up at the drive-thru inheriting a big stack of cash. And think hear what happened to Cupid? He window. What makes this story amazing is about this: Gotham City is more dangerOntario Average 102.0 you flew into the Polar Vortex and almost froze A&W does not sell flame-broiled burgers. ous during the day than it is during the his little wings off. night. They can’t signal Batman until after Quebec Home Average and natural resources  Weather information  Weather GOOD Local DOGGY! forecastsLast  Environment  British 113.8 week,Columbia in New York, sundown. WEATHER WEIRDNESS: The plan- it was the famous Westminster Dog Show. et’s weather continues to go nuts. Parts Some of the dogs looked very snobby. They MOVIE MEMO: Filming starts soon on New Brunswick Avg 104.1 of Hawaii—YES, HAWAII—had winter probably expect their owners to wipe the four Avatar movie sequels. Do you rememconditions. And, if you’re wondering: A rim before they drink from the toilet. The ber the first Avatar movie? It featured blue Nova Scotia Avg 104.3 ukulele cannot be used as Observed Fort St. John 11:00 AMaMST Tuesday a snowat:shovel. topAirport dog received trophy, plus19a February coupon2019 aliens with big flat noses. They looked like Current Conditions t Nelson, BC - 7 Day Forecast - Environment Canada In Hawaii, it was so chilly, people were good forhttps://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-83_metric_e.html 1,000 belly rubs. Smurfs who were punched in the face. wearing insulated grass skirts. Meanwhile, PEI Average 99.2 Condition: Mostly Cloudy Temperature: -4.0°C Wind: WSW 24 km/h in Australia, it’s mid-summer, the hottest a study released last SNARK SHARK: Divers filming an unPressure: 100.7 kPa Dew point:TEEN -9.6°CTRUTH: In Wind C… -11 summer on record. I guess somewhere week, only 5% of teens get enough sleep derwater documentary off the coast of Newfoundland Avg. Falling Humidity: 65% Visibility: 24 km 112.9 Tendency: between hot Australia and the chilly Peace and exercise. But, it’s not as bad as it Hawaii saw the biggest Great White Shark Country there’s a place where the tem- seems. 40% of teens have downloaded a ever recorded. The shark was even bigger CAD$ per litre, prices as of February 19. perature is perfect. Let’s find out where phone app that does all their sleeping and after it ate the camera guy. Kidding. Source: GasBuddy.com Home  Environment and natural resources  Weather information  Weather  Local forecasts  British Columbia

Fort St. John, BC

-4°C

Fort Nelson, BC

WEATHER & ROAD REPORT

Forecast Current Conditions Tue 19 Feb

Forecast issued: 11:00 AM MST Tuesday 19 February 2019 FORT JOHN Airport 11:00 AM MST Tuesday 19 February 2019 Observed at: FortST. Nelson

Wed Thu Condition: Mostly Cloudy 21 Feb 20 Feb Pressure: 100.5 kPa Tendency: Falling

Please Please -10°C recycle this newspaper recycle this -10°C -1°C 40% newspaper. Chance of ﬂurries

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Periods of snow

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The Tue contents of this Wed newspaper are protected by 19 Feb 20 Feb copyright and may be used only for personal non-commercial purposes. -13°C -19°C rights

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Fri Sat -10.4°C 22 FebTemperature: 23 Feb Dew point: -12.2°C Humidity: 87%

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HIGHWAY CONDITIONS PEACE REGION

Sun Mon Wind: WSW 5 km/h 24 Feb 25 Feb Wind C… -13 Visibility: 48 km

-12°C

-9°C

Sun 24 Feb

Mon 25 Feb

FOR CURRENT ROAD Periods of snow Cloudy Sunny Sunny CONDITIONS IN THE PEACE REGION, Forecast issued: 11:00 AM MST Tuesday 19 February 2019 2x1 FORT NELSON Night Night Night PLEASE SEE THE LINK BELOW. Fri 22 Feb

Sat 23 Feb

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All other are reserved Periods of snow Clear Cloudy periods Periods of snow Clear Clear -4°C -7°C -9°C -9°C -10°C -8°C -7°C and commercial use is prohibited.60% To make any use of 60% Please newspaper. Chance of flurries of snow Sunny Chance of flurries A mix of sun and Sunny Sunny this material yourecycle must Periods first this Today Mainly 30 km/h gusting to 50. High minus 1. Wind obtain the permission of thecloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Wind southwest cloud owner of the copyright. chill minus 17 in the morning and minus 6 in the afternoon. UV index 1 or low. 2x1.5 WeatherPhone Tonight Cloudy. Periods of snow beginning this evening. Amount 2 to 4 cm. Wind becoming northwest 30 km/h near Tonight Night Night Night Night Night Environment Canada For further information contact Local midnight. Low minus 13. Wind chill minus 6 in the evening and minus 22 overnight. the managing editor at Weather Forecasts

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Wed, 20 Feb Periods of snow ending early in the afternoon then mainly cloudy. Amount 2 cm. Wind northwest 20 km/h. 250-785-5631 High minus 10. Wind chill near minus 22. UV index 1 or low.

Night -15°C

Clear. Low minus 19. -17°C

Please recycle -14°Cthis newspaper. -15°C -23°C -22°C WOMEN’S CARHARTT FR/NON-FR CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES Thu, 21 Feb Sunny. High minus 7. Periods of snow Cloudy periods Cloudy Night Increasing cloudiness. Low minus 15.

3x1

Cloudy

Clear

Fri, 22 Feb Today Night

Periods of snow. High minus 8. Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of ﬂurries. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h this afternoon. High Periods of snow. Low minus 15. minus 4. Wind chill minus 15 in the morning and minus 8 in the afternoon. UV index 1 or low. Tonight Cloudy. of snow Sat, 23 Feb Cloudy. Periods High minus 11. beginning early this evening. Amount 2 to 4 cm. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming W N E R S ! 10520 light this evening. Low minus 15.St Wind chill minus - 100 Avenue, Fort John, BC 13 in the evening and minus 19 overnight. U HO

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Fax: 250-785-5338 • Ph: 250-785-5888 Periods of snow ending near noon then cloudy. Amount 2 cm. Wind up to 15 km/h. High minus 7. Wind chill Mon. to Wed. and Fri. 6am - 6pm • Thurs. 6am - 8pm 2019-02-19, 11:07 a.m. minus 18 in the morning and minus 10 in the afternoon. UV index 1 or low. Sat. 9am - 6pm • Sunday 10am - 5pm

Wed, 20 Feb Night

Cloudy periods. Low minus 17.

THURSDAY, february 21, 2019 Vol. A-75, No. 8

Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities

$1.50 inc. gst.

alaskahighwaynews.ca

“The Only Newspaper in the World That Gives a Tinker’s Dam About the North Peace.”

NPSS OPEN AFTER WATER DELUGE

huskies dominate season end

celebrating women’s institutes

NEWS A5

SPORTS b1

community A13

Throne speech promises new measures for LNG Canada

winter layers

matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

Measures to help build the $40-billion LNG Canada project will be introduced this spring, the provincial government announced today. Northern B.C. and rural communities saw little mention in the government’s latest throne speech, read Tuesday afternoon by Lt.Gov. Janet Austin. However, the province dedicated five paragraphs to the liquefied natural gas industry and the LNG Canada project. “Last year, this government was proud to announce the largest private-sector investment in Canadian history. “The benefits of this investment will require your government’s full commitment for many years,” the speech reads.

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Canadian ice carver Kevin Lewis works on a sculpture in Centennial Park as part of the High On Ice winter festival in Centennial Park on Feb. 17, 2019. If you missed the festival, the sculptures are still standing for public viewing as long as the weather permits. The city asks that residents stay off the ice, and only touch pieces that are meant to be interactive, such as the snowmobile and the sleigh. Turn to A9, A10, B7, and B8 for more from this year’s festival.

Trio arrested after gunshots in Taylor Matt Preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

 phone 250-785-5631  fax 250-785-3522  email circulation@ahnfsj.ca  online alaskahighwaynews.ca  facebook AlaskaHighwayNews  twitter @AHNnewspaper

Three people are facing gun-related charges following reports of a shooting in Taylor on Sunday morning. Fort St. John RCMP say officers were called to the 9600 block of North Spruce Street just before 3 a.m. on Feb. 17 after a resident was awoken by what they thought were gunshots. On the way to the scene, officers saw a lone van driving north on Highway 97 from Taylor, according to a

news release. Several items were seen being thrown from the van, RCMP say, including a bulletproof vest, a shotgun, and a 9 mm pistol. Officers pursued the van to a hotel parking lot in Fort St. John, where the passengers tried to flee on foot, RCMP say. All three were arrested and taken into custody. The guns and vest were recovered. “I am very proud of the systematic response by our officers to this type of high risk call,” Sgt. Dave Tyreman said

the release. “They were able to contain the threat to the public while safely apprehending the alleged suspects.” Joshua Victor Osmond, 34, Allison Audrey Morrison, 32, and Jackie Danny Williams, 29, face various charges, including break and enter, unlawfully discharging a firearm, and unauthorized possession of a firearm, among others. They were being held in custody pending a bail hearing on Tuesday, after this edition of the News went to print.

Crown’s appeal for tougher sex assault sentence dismissed Tom summer Alaska Highway News

The B.C. Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from Crown prosecutors wanting a tougher sentence for a sexual assault in Fort St. John in 2013. Badr Elmazini was sentenced in 2015 after allegedly groping and kissing a 23-yearold employee in his restaurant behind locked doors on November 28, 2013. The trial judge had granted Elmazini a conditional discharge, meaning no conviction was entered, which included two years probation, counselling, an apology, 100 hours of community service, a $2,000 fine, a DNA order, and five-

year firearms ban. On appeal, the Crown argued for a six-month conditional sentence, or house arrest, along with a 10-year order requiring Elmazini to register as a sex offender. The Crown argued the trial judge made several errors, mainly that a tougher sentence would have had “collateral immigration consequences” that were unproven and “too remote” to be considered valid. Elmazini’s lawyer had argued at trial that a criminal record would have prevented Elmazini from sponsoring family members to immigrate from Morocco to Canada, and from travelling for pleasure and business.

The Crown also argued the trial judge also erred in the presumption that a conditional discharge would be appropriate in respect to rehabilitation, noting Elmazini maintained his innocence post-conviction. Supreme Court Justice Andrew P. A. Mayer was unconvinced an error was made, and considered the original sentence fitting of the requirements for denunciation and deterrence. “These conditions send a clear signal, both to Badr Elmazini and to the community at large, that his conduct was wrongful and has been punished,” Mayer wrote in his decision January 15, 2019. See APPEAL on A4

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Campaign to support Mountie’s cancer battle matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca

He was hailed a hero last summer for stopping a man from bleeding to death. Now, a Fort St. John police officer and his family are in need of a community of lifesavers to call their own. Cst. Tony Brooks is battling Stage 2 Cancer, and will need surgery and chemotherapy in his road to recovery, according to friends. Brooks was recognized by the Fort St. John RCMP detachment in July 2018 for his quick action and medical skills that saved a man from dying after he punched out a car window and severed an artery in his arm. “Tony Brooks is what you would call a modern day hero. He began his career as a Paramedic with BC Ambulance Service and then was called to become a member of the RCMP,” Tara Leslie writes in a recently launched crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe. “Over the course of his career he has saved and touched so many lives and this is our time to help him.” The campaign has been launched to provide the Brooks family with financial help through the recovery. As of press time, $4,750 of a $10,000 goal had been raised.

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A4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

LOCAL NEWS

MOVING MONOLOGUE

Steelhead LNG presses pause on Kwispaa LNG, cites uncertainty MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Spoken word artists and former national slam poet champ Brendan McLeod was at the North Peace Cultural Centre Feb. 15, 2019, to deliver a moving monologue called BRAIN, speaking candidly about his experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder, and how the cadence of his thoughts brought him to a battle with psychosis.

Peace Region film festival deadline approaching Peace Region filmmakers have until the end of day Thursday, February 21, to submit their short films to the 13th Reel Shorts Film Festival May 6 to 13 in Grande Prairie. More than 5,000 submissions from 116 countries have already been received by the regular submission deadline, but February 21 is an extended deadline for films made in the Peace Region, and for those

made anywhere in the world by filmmakers who currently reside in or have resided in the Peace Region. Films must have a running time between 2 to 31 minutes, and have a completion date of January 1, 2017 or later. Films must not be on YouTube or available for public viewing online. The festival selects more than 80 films every year; about

a third of them are premieres, and a similar number are award winners. Royalties are paid to filmmakers whose films are chosen to screen at the festival, and films are also eligible for juried and audience choice awards. Reel Shorts began in 2007, and has screened 89 Peace Region films since 2013. For more info, visit reelshorts. ca.

of an unlawful confinement charge in the matter, and his sexual assault conviction was discharged in May 2018. Elmazini has new assault and uttering threats charges

from 2017 still making their way through the system. His last known lawyer, Bryan Fitzpatrick, did not return requests for comment.

APPEAL FROM A3

Mayer noted the trial judge demonstrated familiarity with the needs and circumstances of the community in delivering his sentence. Elmazini was acquitted

Steelhead LNG is pressing pause on its involvement with the Kwispaa LNG project on Vancouver Island because of shaky investor confidence in B.C. News broke after the Huuay-aht First Nation announced it was notified by Steelhead LNG that the company had “ceased current project work” on the estimated $10- to $20-billion development. The company has not issued a formal announcement. On Monday, Steelhead LNG spokesman Matt Skinner noted that the province’s investment climate had made it challenging to secure investors and funding for the project. “Given the current environment in B.C., investors really need a greater degree of certainty before investing in a project such as ours. We’ve paused (work) on Kwispaa for now and are evaluating,” Skinner told Victoria News. The company has not “completely pulled out” from the project, and the government’s throne speech last week did not influence its decision, Skinner told the newspaper. “It comes down to the challenges that exist in getting funding for these kinds of activities,” Skinner said. “At this point we’ve ceased work. That’s not to say it will never move forward but right now we’ve ceased working on (Kwispaa).” Steelhead LNG has been jointly developing the project at Sarita Bay on Vancouver Island with the Huu-ay-aht First Nation since 2017.

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It formally submitted a project description to regulators in October to establish the scope of an environmental assessment, and a final investment decision was expected this year or next. In an open letter published Friday, Huu-ay-aht Chief Robert Dennis and hereditary Chief Derek Peters say the Huu-ay-aht will evaluate the implications of Steelhead’s decision and decide how to move forward. “Huu-ay-aht remains committed to pursuing initiatives for meaningful economic reconciliation where we create opportunities to generate value in a global context and create employment and revenue opportunities locally,” the letter says. “As a nation, we continue to be open for business as we work to improve the lives of our citizens by seeking out economic opportunities.” Part of the Kwispaa LNG project is a new 1,000-kilometre pipeline and related facilities from the Chetwynd area to Vancouver Island. Steelhead LNG officials gave an update on the project to the Peace River Regional District board in January. The NDP government released its new climate and energy strategy for the province in December, called CleanBC. The plan sets out new benchmarks and standards for emissions and technology for proposed liquefied natural gas projects in the province, and calls for continued electrification of the oil and gas fields in Northeast B.C. — with files from the Canadian Press

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DAWSON CREEK: 816, 103RD AVENUE, DAWSON CREEK, B.C RESIDENT OFFICE: 700, 1628 DICKSON AVENUE, KELOWNA, B.C. Licensed Insolvency Trustees

PUBLIC NOTICE

Council Initiative – 101 Avenue Between 86 and 88 Streets Local Area Service Project No. 1, 2019

MNPdebt.ca/DebtIndex

PUBLIC NOTICE

The City of Fort St. John intends to install catchbasins, street lighting, sidewalks, asphalt paving, curb & gutter, driveway and boulevard restoration works on 101 Avenue between 86 and 88 Streets.

Re: Cannabis Control and Licensing Act Applica�on for Non-Medical Cannabis Retail Store Licence The Applicant, West Coast Retail Holdings Ltd., has applied to the Liquor and Cannabis Regula�on Branch for a Non-Medical Cannabis Retail Store licence. The establishment, under the name of West Coast Cannabis, is proposed to be located at Unit 2 – 9831 – 98 A Avenue in Fort St. John. The proposed loca�on is in the allowable area of the City’s C-2 (Downtown Core Commercial) zone for a cannabis retail store.

PROJECT COSTS Total estimated cost of Parcel Owner’s Portion Total estimated cost of the City’s Portion Total estimated Cost of Project

$509,384.62 $1,045,371.53 $1,554,756.15

Parcel Owners Options and Cost Summary Annual charge per metre $73.21 Commuted value per metre $1,089.12 Number of years 20

Proposed hours of opera�on are from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm, seven days per week. Residents and owners of businesses located within a 0.8 kilometre (1/2 mile) radius of the proposed establishment may comment on this proposal by wri�ng to:

Affected parcel owners who want to petition against this work proceeding must do so by submitting their written objection to: Director of Legislative and Administrative Services at City Hall, 10631 – 100 Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 3Z5 on or before 4:30 p.m. on April 1, 2019.

City of Fort St. John A�en�on: Janet Prestley, Director of Legisla�ve and Administra�ve Services 10631 – 100 Street Fort St. John, BC V1J 3Z5 Email: jprestley@fortstjohn.ca

Council may proceed with this project unless petitions against the service are received by April 1, 2019. The City will be borrowing funds for the residents’ portion of this project over a 20 year term. The City’s portion for this project will be paid from the Capital Budget Account.

PETITIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. To ensure the considera�on of your views, your le�er must be received on or before Friday, March 1, 2019. Your name(s) and residen�al/business address must be included. Please note that your comments may be made available to the applicant or Government Oﬃcials where disclosure is necessary to administer the licence applica�on process.

www.fortstjohn.ca 540057

www.fortstjohn.ca 540058

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 A5

LOCAL NEWS

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

Kay Booth was one of the two dozen seniors who enjoyed some sweet treats and music Feb. 13, 2019, at Apartment 3, thanks to the Red Hatters. The Red Hatters will hold a Mother’s Day Tea at the apartment this spring.

Community award nominees wanted MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

The city has opened nominations for the top leaders in local culture, recreation, literacy, youth leadership, and humanitarian efforts. Nominees are also wanted for the Mayor’s Citizen of the Year Award. “Our local volunteers and organizations always go above and beyond,” Mayor Lori Ackerman said in a news release. “This is an excellent opportunity to recognize a person or organization in our community who shows just how energetic they are by going that extra mile and making our community the best

place to live.” Nominations packages can be picked up at city hall, the Pomeroy Sport Centre and North Peace Leisure Pool. Nominations can also be made online at: www.surveymonkey. com/r/2019communityawards. Nominations close March 8. This is the 12th year of the awards. A gala will be held April 11 at the Lido Theatre, with more details to come. Award winners in 2018 included Hunter Faminow (youth), the North Peace Seniors Housing Society (humanitarian), the Crystal Cup Organizing Committee (recreation), Catherine Ruddell (culture), Kim Boettcher (literacy), and Adam Reaburn (Citizen of the Year).

High school running on generator MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca

A burst water pipe forced North Peace Secondary School to close for two days last week. The school was closed Feb. 12 and 13 after a pipe in the school’s fire suppression system burst and destroyed the school’s electrical transformer, leaving the building without heat or power. The school is running off a generator until the transformer can be completely replaced, a fix expected to take some time. “It’s the wrong time of year to be without heat or power,” School District 60 Superintendent Dave Sloan said. District staff were able to respond to the leak immediately after the incident

triggered the school’s alarm system late Monday night on Feb. 11, Sloan said. There was minimal damage beyond the transformer, Sloan said, and the building had been powered during the school closure with temporary, emergency generators. Those have been replaced with a larger, external generator, and heating, lighting, and computer systems have been restored, Sloan said. There will be some contingencies, however: there will be no public Wi-Fi, for example, and the school will be taking power-saving measures so the generator isn’t overloaded. Sloan gave a nod to staff and contractors for being able to re-open the school within 48 hours. The school district will be monitoring the situation and providing updates as needed, Sloan said.

To learn more about diabetes, volunteer, advocate or donate, please contact : Northern Region (250) 561-9284 boyanne.young@diabetes.ca

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A6 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Opinion

Published every Thursday at 9916 - 98th Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8 by Glacier Media Tel: 250-785-5631 Fax: 250-785-3522 Online at alaskahighwaynews.ca

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What should be secret between government and the people?

central tenet of local government is the requirement to allow public to attend all council and committee of the whole meetings, as outlined in the Community Charter, B.C.’s act regulating local governments. But, there are three main exceptions, that being when the three Ls: legal, land, and labour. These exceptions can also include confidential information provided by other levels of government. For the most part, in-camera exceptions are well understood, and each local government only holds in-camera, or private, meetings when one of these three topics occurs. On occasion, the lines of what should be in-camera or not is blurred and councils then seek advice. Although some decisions are challenged by outside sources, my experience from both participating in the decisionmaking process as a former mayor, and now following local politics as an interested person, councils and staff usually get it right. A recent example is the decision by the Peace River Regional District and their member municipalities to not engage with the province on an in-camera basis for caribou recovery planning. The PRRD held firm to their belief as this topic did not fit their definition for holding in-camera meetings, and that this topic was of great importance to a large segment of the local population. Of note, some PRRD directors did meet with provincial representatives in Prince George for some discussion in January, with a

Evan Saugstad commitment by the province to hold further public meetings in early February. It is now midFebruary and still nothing. In December, I wrote of this issue, but at that time was not fully aware of just why the province was so insistent about meeting in-camera. Now, I have a bit better understanding of just why. Last September, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) signed off on an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the province that replaces one signed in September 2015. This updated MOU was signed off by a UBCM committee and not put to the general membership for discussion. Simply put, and in my interpretation, this MOU now says all discussions between the province and local governments relating to the province’s discussions with indigenous peoples on indigenous “initiatives” are to be kept confidential, if so, deemed by the province. Should any local government wish to be kept informed or participate in any discussions regarding “treaty negotiations, nontreaty agreements, indigenous initiatives and development of indigenous related program and initiatives,” all meetings between the province and local governments, will be

confidential. You can read this MOU on the UBCM website. Now, and as of today, reading between the lines and watching what has happened, or, more importantly, what has not, leads me to two conclusions. One, if local governments do not agree with what the province deems to be confidential, they will be purposefully kept in the dark, as is happening with the local caribou management agreements and negotiations. And two, the province is ignoring its own MOU, in respect for the need for early notice, sufficient information, or jointly determine a local government’s involvement when it comes to matters affecting local government and its constituents. Back to today. What are local governments supposed to do? On one hand, the province tells them what they deem to be confidential, and if the local governments agree, they then can’t discuss any of that information with anyone outside of their respective organizations. If they don’t agree, they then know nothing and the province essentially says, too bad, we will tell you later, when we are done. No process, no appeal, just darkness. Now, I hear it may get worse. Last week, we heard that the province wants to re-open parts (or maybe all) of the Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) for the North Peace. In that this plan will affect indigenous people, the province is now referencing this same MOU that says these discussions and review should be completed in confidence and behind closed

doors. Now, we are going too far. That plan affects all of us, whether we know it or not. It took more than seven years to negotiate during the 1990s and is a very complicated document, with a complicated process. In one way or another, it involves and affects us all, including indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. I should know, as I was part of the LRMP for our neighbours in the South Peace for the seven years of negotiations. In my simple view, if it affects me, it’s also likely to affect indigenous peoples, as we are all in this life together, whether we like it or not. If our provincial government wishes to conduct all discussions with indigenous peoples on any matter that may affect indigenous peoples behind closed doors, then we are lost. It’s not only bad government, it’s undemocratic as well. This isn’t a fight or issue between local non-indigenous and indigenous peoples, but one where we all need to tell our government in Victoria that not everything needs to be completed in secrecy, behind some closed door as if we are in some communist country. For this one, our local and indigenous governments just need to say no, the LRMP is not confidential, as we all need to be represented at the table to determine the best uses for our lands and resources. This has the potential to affect us all and we all need to work together to achieve a new LRMP that reflects this. Evan Saugstad lives in Fort St. John.

Letters to the editor WHY THE ENGOS ARE IN THE ROOM The Peace region is an area I love dearly, a landscape I have lived and worked in for many years. I know many people share my passion for this land. However, recently I’ve noticed this passion getting out of step with reality when it comes to recovering endangered mountain caribou. The successive inaction of B.C. governments has led us to a caribou crisis, and limited information from Victoria about recovery actions has led to rumours and misinformation. Some of the frustration has been targeted at the organization I work for, the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y). So let’s set the record straight. Y2Y is both a Canadian and U.S. non-profit with staff in Alberta, British Columbia, and the United States. We work in both countries because wildlife don’t care about borders. With a mission to “connect and protect habitat so people and nature can thrive”, Y2Y’s work does not involve locking all humans out of the mountains or creating one big park restricting all access and resource development. We are not anti-development, but rather seek to ensure that human activities leave wildlife room to roam by retaining critical habitats and corridors between them. Y2Y supports sustainable hunting, fishing, and trapping as important

activities throughout the Rockies. With staff and board members who hunt, hike, fish, ski and more in the wilds of Yellowstone to Yukon, we understand that it is important to plan for well-managed recreation of all different types from non-motorized to motorized. We are very concerned about the failure of successive governments to stop the decline of caribou populations. Required by Canadian law, a successful caribou recovery plan must include multiple approaches such as habitat protection, restoration, and management measures like maternal penning. An approach that ignores habitat is doomed to fail. Governments must include stakeholder engagement for caribou recovery. Y2Y staff receive the same information as any stakeholder group, and have no more influence or access to government. Lack of communication and a long-term vision from the government has encouraged fearmongering and hysteria. This is concerning and serves only to distract from the real issue. These accusations divide communities and British Columbians against each other. North vs. South. Urban vs. Rural. Indigenous vs. non-Indigenous. We can all do better. We all need to be a part of the solution in ensuring future generations have jobs, wild spaces, forests and wildlife to enjoy — including caribou. — Tim Burkhart, Peace Region Coordinator, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 A7

OP-ED

Let’s get back to common-sense snowclearing, please Steve Thorlakson from main drags) to dump trucks with underbody plows. We placed the same priorities as are used now, but rather than clearing “curb-to-curb” everywhere, the first job was to open the roads for safe transportation – all the roads. The downside was that some parked cars got snowed in, and some driveways were left with windrows of snow. The worst were cleared with a loader. But the process took two passes by the underbody plow and maybe a pass with a loader. We not only cut the time needed to less than 10%, we cut costs, only using slow-moving and expensive graders where necessary. Other cities post a notice on Facebook and radio to move parked cars off the street before plows – a good idea. Total costs

It takes a village to find a missing child

n March 24 1991, in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, Crystal and Bruce Dunahee packed up their two children, Caitlin and Michael, and headed out to a local school where Crystal was scheduled to play a team sport. When they arrived, four-year-old Michael asked if he could go play on the nearby playground equipment. Moments later, Michael vanished. Michael Dunahee has never been found. In 1991, there was no Amber Alert system in place to quickly notify en masse in the event of a missing child. The Dunahees and the local police had to rely on the radio, the newspaper, posters, and, finally, a photo on the side of a milk carton. None of those applications would have been immediate – during the critical first hours of the boy’s disappearance. The Amber Alert system was created in the United States in 1996 following the abduction and murder of a little girl in Arlington, Texas. Amber Hagerman, 9, was abducted from her bike and was later found deceased. Canada and many other countries have since adopted the Amber Alert system. The key to finding a missing child is swift action – everyone knowing what has happened and all eyes collectively looking for the child, the abductor and the vehicle they might be driving. That is the key to the Amber Alert system and one that has worked effectively to locate and save vulnerable children. Recently, there was an Amber Alert issued at 11:36 p.m. for a missing 11-year-old girl from Ontario. The Amber Alert was cancelled after midnight when the police apprehended the suspected abductor, but tragically the little girl was

Judy Kucharuk deceased. Surprisingly, social media was rife with complaints from folks who felt inconvenienced by the Amber Alert. They complained that they received the alert and lived nowhere near the area where the child was abducted. They complained that the alert came at an inconvenient time. They complained that they still received the Amber Alert after the child’s body was found - how inconvenient! I had no clue that Canada had so many narcissistic sociopaths. I mean, Google says that approximately 4% of the population are sociopaths, but you never really know until something like outrage over an inconveniently timed Amber Alert draws them out from under the rocks they call home. Sorry sociopaths, the system doesn’t allow you to opt out of receiving an Amber Alert. Unfortunately, those darn alerts are going to happen at the most inconvenient times because the psychopaths and predators don’t keep office hours. Let’s circle back to Michael Dunahee shall we? What would have been the outcome if the Amber Alert system had been in place that spring day when Michael vanished within the sightline of his mother? Maybe little Michael would have been found and his parents wouldn’t spend the rest of their lives searching the face of every stranger for a glimpse of their little boy.

were contained to around $400,000 to $500,000 per year. Now, for the déjà vu part. I’ve been watching the snow removal on my residential street this winter. We’re back to using graders (four or even five passes to make a windrow in the middle), then a contracted loader or the city’s fancy snowblowers come to move it to the curb. And it often takes five to seven days for my street to get done—compared to 32 hours. And the costs in this year’s budget? Glad you asked. It’s about $1.7 to $1.8 million. We’ve had inflation and the city has grown since 2005 – let’s say an average of 3%, or 42% overall. That means the old approach would cost $500,000 + 42%, or $710,000. The extra $1 million – there to offset the average of 30 to 50 complaints per year. The solution? Go back to the old policy (déjà vu no more), hire Bobcats

to follow the plows and remove any driveway windrows higher than six inches. Surely each citizen can do a bit for themselves, or do you like your taxes covering $1 million per year of “convenience”? Believe me, I pay $40 per snowfall to have my driveways plowed, and my wife’s minivan never had issues when there were windrows. This is just one function where there may well be a saving of $1 million per year, improved snow removal times, no driveways plowed in. Do we need special blades on the underbody plows? No. The graders can still remove ice buildup if required, but our better approach minimized ice buildup. Are there other areas to budget and spend more wisely and efficiently? Stay tuned. Steve Thorlakson is a resident and former mayor of Fort St. John.

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ogi Berra is famous for lots of comments, most of them make no sense but they are funny. I’ve always liked, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” For those that don’t know it, déjà vu is the experience that we’ve seen it before – Yogi took it to a whole new level – again! This column is about snow removal. When I was first on council in 1986, one of the common complaints (other than the taxes were too high) was about snow removal – it took too long, there were ruts left in the roads, there was another snowfall before the last was cleared, etc. One of the most difficult things for a council to do is to think outside the box, particularly as staff largely prefer to stay within their comfort zone. It took awhile, but eventually we adopted new procedures, training, and equipment that reduced the time needed to clear the streets from 14 days—and sometimes 30 days—down to an average of 32 hours, and once a record 24 hours! How, you ask? We went away from the process of using graders, snowplows, and dump trucks (except for hauling

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 A9

High On Ice

matt preprost Photo

Ryan Cook takes his chainsaw to a block of ice on Feb. 16, 2019.

Dave Lueneberg Photo

Zuzie Matvejova with daughter Simone, 3, and Poppy MacInnis, 3, enjoy a trip down the ice slides at Centennial Park on Feb. 17, 2019. The ice slides will remain up for as long as the weather permits. There is no staff supervision, so use at your own risk.

dave lueneberg Photo

Andy Orcena and daughter Jhuztine take part in the ice fishing derby at Charlie Lake, Feb. 17, 2019.

matt preprost Photo

Northern Star Racing Kennel gives some youngsters a sled dog ride in Baldonnel on Feb. 16, 2019.

CITY BEAT

Updates from February 11, 2019 Council Meetings PROCLAMATIONS • The month of February 2019 was proclaimed as “CDC Month” in the City of Fort St. John. Throughout the month of February, the Child Development Centre (CDC) will be working with a variety of community businesses in fundraising efforts and events leading up to the 45th Annual Talent Show on March 8th at the North Peace Cultural Centre. Funds will be used to “Upgrade the Fort”, which includes sound panels within the CDC gym space. • The month of February 2019 was proclaimed as “Women’s Institute Month” in the City of Fort St. John. The Women’s Institute is a diversified group of interested, involved and educated women from all walks of life who sponsor and promote programs in agriculture, citizenship, home economics, health and welfare and cultural pursuits. They function at the local, regional, provincial, national and international level with a range of activities broad enough to encompass the interests of women. • The week of February 18 – 22, 2019 was proclaimed as “Thinking and Founder Week” in the City of Fort St. John. Members of local Girl Guides and Scout groups made the joint request to Council to recognize the impact of the clubs on the lives of youth. Girl Guides of Canada and Scout Canada are committed to encouraging youth members to strive to try new challenges and explore their communities and the world around them. 2019 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGETS At a Public Meeting, Council and members of the public received a presentation on the 2019 Operating and Capital Budgets. Positive aspects of the budget were outlined as presenting a balanced budget, keeping the tax rate the same as last year, a small decrease in municipal tax for average residents, maintaining the current level of services and programs and utilizing the Peace River Agreement to fund long- term studies and plans. The City is required by the Community Charter to adopt an annual financial plan, and a Public Meeting provides an opportunity for the public to provide comments and input. The Five Year Financial Plan Bylaw No. 2455, 2019 will go to Council on February 25th for adoption by title only. POLICIES • Council approved Council Policy No. 140/19 – Privacy Management. The purpose of the policy is to establish guidelines for the collection, use, disclosure, storage, and retention of personal information by the City of Fort St. John in order to ensure personal information in the custody or under the control of the City is protected. • The following Council Policies were tabled:

dave lueneberg Photo

Candice Pappenberger from Fort St. John with Jacob, 8, Owen, 5, and Nathan, 2, enjoy a sleigh ride through Kin Park on Feb. 17, 2019.

Council Policy No. 82/19 – Conference Hosting

Council Policy No. 87/19 – Discretionary Grant

Council Policy No. 105/19 – Base Budget Grant

Council directed staff to re-word the application forms within the policies to articulate the different funding streams available through the Peace River Regional District that the City contributes towards. These changes reflect the request from Council to identify and inform the consideration of applications for grants that have been made to the City as well as the Peace River Regional District. The City is a member municipality (also called a participating municipality) and contributes to PRRD funding. TOPICS FOR 2019 RESOLUTION SUBMISSIONS City Council considered resolution topics for submission to the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA). The NGCLA requests submissions for consideration at their Annual General Meeting. Through discussion the following three topics emerged and will be presented in resolution form for adoption at the February 25th Council meeting: • Reflecting the oil and gas industry’s financial contribution to Canada’s economy, the strict environment regulations under which it operates containing background statistical information, in relation and response to the Westcoast Law’s proposed class action lawsuit. • The Province’s lack of public consultation processes and transparency when implementing new programs. • Addressing the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) requesting a commitment to a consultation process with local governments when the Province is implementing new programs as identified in the Province/UBCM Memorandum of Understanding.

UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETINGS A Committee of the Whole meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday February 25, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. The Regular Council Meeting will follow at 3:00 p.m. All meetings will be held in City Hall Council Chambers and the public is welcome to attend.

www.fortstjohn.ca matt preprost Photo

Russian carver Dmitry Klimenko works on a ghoulish looking ice carving at Centennial Park on Feb. 15, 2019.

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A10 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

LOCAL NEWS

High On Ice delivers an experience to make our community proud

would like to congratulate the organizers of High on Ice! What an incredible weekend – in Northern B.C. style. The deepfreeze of the north did not disappoint. I’m fortunate and proud to be a part of our community. When my children were young, we enjoyed the ice slide, the ice carving competitions, professional ice carvings, and so much more. Over the weekend, my son and his band Summit played at the festival. What a great opportunity for a young and upcoming band to be able to gain valuable performance experience. It takes a village to raise a child. I was in awe as I looked around at the audience in the room and saw a lifetime of family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances come out and support these young men who played their hearts out. This is how our youth grow and thrive. The arts

is an important opportunity to grow and gain valuable leadership skills. So often we put great emphasis on sports for children. It’s great to see our community has expanded to a new level that offers opportunity for enhancement in numerous artistic opportunities. A band offers skills in public speaking, management, negotiating, troubleshooting, and personal growth. A band allows opportunity to find your voice, to organize band members, to realize the importance of professionalism. What do you do when you are under pressure and your guitar breaks two hours before show time? You go to your most valuable asset – your relationships and ask for help – and then remember to publicly thank them for their support while on stage! I have had the pleasure of witnessing these boys growing their brand. Their perform-

Edwina Nearhood LIFE AT GROUND ZERO

ance this past weekend was something to witness. They were able to not only play when it was bitterly cold – two tough guys in T-shirts, they also worked through technical challenges and held it all together. They transitioned better than I have ever seen them before and even included band introductions, jokes, and a surprise song from a guest vocalist. It’s with great pride I could sit back and watch four young men take that a big step into adulthood. They made some pretty incredible memories. There were some proud parents sitting back and applaud-

ing the articulate, talented human beings before them. It’s a pleasure to witness a passage of time as these boys prepare to move forward in life. The greatest gift we can give to any youth is the support them to achieve their goals. To witness those moments that are etched in the memory is an honour and a pleasure. I wish the band Summit many more of those moments moving forward. I’m very proud of my son Bruce and his bandmates Kyle, James, and Jayden. May they always play hard and have fun with their music. I would also like to acknowledge the community that supported Bruce to be the man that he is today – because I know all to well that it takes a community to raise a child. Bruce’s father passed away when he was 10. That can be a pretty tough time for a boy. Fortunate for him, he has wonderful friends and

families that were right by his side when he needed them most. He has had great men mentor him and support him with firm, kind guidance when needed. He has grandparents, aunties, teachers, coaches, and people that are there to cheer. So, I would like to say thank you to Fort St. John, as Bruce turns 18 this week. I am proud. I am grateful. I am looking forward to the next chapter in his life – one day at a time – with every way perfect….and I am in so much trouble – I would appreciate everyone not mentioning this article to him – as he is a man that likes his privacy. But, as a parent, what more can you ask for than a story at 18 like this? Edwina Nearhood is a lifelong resident of Fort St. John, with 30 years experience in the appraisal industry.

MASTER OF COMEDIES

Pipeline artifact claims investigated

Tyler Morrison deliver a hilarious comedy set at the Lido Theatre as part of the Laugh Your Ice Off comedy festival on Feb. 15, 2019.

Coastal GasLink has voluntarily suspended work at its site south of Houston while claims of the discovery of artifacts on the site are investigated. “On being notified, Coastal GasLink took immediate steps to cordon off and protect the area and requested that a qualified archeologist visit the site. The Oil and Gas Commission (OGC) will also visit the site to further investigate the claims,” the company stated in an update. “Coastal GasLink takes the conservation and protection of culturally-important heritage sites and artifacts seriously and has implemented an approved Heritage Resource Discovery Contingency Plan while notifying the responsible regulatory authorities.” As part of the permitting requirements, an Archeological Impact Assessment (AIA) was completed for the site and nearby area.

MATT PREPROST PHOTO

“Unfortunately, during the regulatory and permitting process, CGL and its archaeologists were not able to access the 9A site due to road access issues and were therefore unable to conduct onsite fieldwork,” the company stated. As a result, experienced licensed archeologists from Northern B.C. assessed the potential for artifacts at the site. The assessment determined low potential and no further work was required. The AIA was approved by the B.C. Archeology Branch in 2016. “There are no known archeological sites registered within 2,000 metres of the site, which was selected by CGL because of it being a previously disturbed area. The site in question was previously cleared and used as part of forestry work,” the company stated. — Daily Oil Bulletin

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 A11

Local News

peace region

court docket A summary of sentences and fines handed out in Northeast B.C. courts for the week ending Feb. 15, 2019. Fort St. John Law Courts • John Robert Beattie (born 1970) was sentenced to 145 days in jail and handed a three-year criminal driving ban for care or control of a vehicle or vessel while impaired. Beattie was sentenced to three months in jail and handed a one-year criminal driving ban for operating a motor vehicle while disqualified. Beattie was sentenced to 15 days for mischief $5,000 or under. Beattie was sentenced to 45 days in jail for breaching probation. • Clinton Henderson Braun (born 1978) was fined $500 for hunting on cultivated land without consent, and fined $500 for unlawful possession of dead wildlife. • Darcy Leigh Briscoe (born 1970) was granted a conditional discharge

and handed one year of probation for mischief $5,000 or under. • Nathan Lee Hart (born 1995) was fined $1,000 and handed a one-year criminal driving ban for care or control of a vehicle or vessel with a blood alcohol level over .08. Hart was fined $500 and handed a one-year driving ban for driving with a suspended licence. • Edward Alfred Needham (born 1943) was fined $500 and handed a one-year driving ban for driving with a suspended licence. • Andrew William Nichols (born 1954) was fined $1,000 and handed a one-year criminal driving ban for care or control of a vehicle while impaired. Dawson Creek Law Courts • Nate Alexi Morin (born 1996) was fined $2,000 and handed a one-year criminal driving ban for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. • Christina Lee Walker (born 1971) was fined $500 and handed a one-year probation order for assault. — Tom Summer

Be prepared for winter road conditions Fort St. John RCMP are reminding motorists to drive to winter road conditions. The detachment released a public service announcement Wednesday noting road conditions improve but can also become more slippery after snow clearing. Officers recently responded to an accident between two vehicles at “high use intersection,” RCMP noted. Before clearing the scene, there was another accident.

“The known or posted speed signs don’t change on our roads, but conditions do,” Cst. Chad Neustaeter said in the announcement. Road conditions may be a contributing factor in an accident, but motorists can still be ticketed $167 if found to be driving too fast for road and weather conditions. Motorists are also reminded to drive with caution at crosswalks and give themselves more time to react if a pedestrian slips and falls.

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A12 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Local News

R0051169490

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Advertising Manager Email: rwallace@ahnfsj.ca | Office: 250-785-5631 9916 98 Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8

Brenda Piper Sales Associate

Email: bpiper@ahnfsj.ca | Office: 250-785-5631 9916 98 Street, Fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8

Nicole Palfy

Associate Publisher Email: npalfy@dcdn.ca • Office: 250-782-4888 901 100 Ave, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 1W2

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Ryan Wallace @ 250-785-5631 rwallace@ahnfsj.ca Debbie Bruinsma @ 250-785-5631 dbruinsma@ahnfsj.ca Brenda Piper @ 250-785-5631 bpiper@ahnfsj.ca

House

of the

GRAYLING

Families that like to entertain will appreciate the airy spaciousness of the ranch-style Grayling. An expansive open great room with high vaulted ceilings ﬁlls the center of the home and a large portion of the rear as well.

stove has work space on both sides. Working at the stove, you can gaze across a long eating bar into the rest of the great room. Storage is generous too, augmented by a walk-in pantry.

Grayling

PLAN 10-207

Living Area 2192 sq.ft. Garage 616 sq.ft. Dimensions 75' x 56'6"

Deck

2000 SERIES www.AssociatedDesigns.com

Nook Kitchen Vaulted Family 18'3" x 15'8"

Bedroom 11'6" x 12'

Vaulted Great Room 16'5" x 15'8"

Vaulted Entry

Owners’ Suite 15'6" x 17'

Dining 12' x 11'8"

Covered Porch

Utility

Utilities and a deep sink are convenient, tucked in a pass-through space that connects the home's interior with a two-car garage. The garage has room for a workbench, and plenty of storage space to boot. A powder Windows line the back wall, room, adjacent to the utility room, is bathing the area in light. The bayed convenient to family living spaces and nook is brighter still, and more the garage. A central bathroom serves natural light spills in through skylights the secondary bedrooms. located between the eating bar and the Double doors open into the fireplace. This fireplace is open on Grayling's elegant owners' suite. Its two sides, allowing people to enjoy bay window could become a cozy its flames and warmth from almost window seat or house a desk or anywhere in the great room. sewing machine. Other amenities In the kitchen, there's ample coun- include a huge walk-in closet and a ter space for two or more cooks to luxurious bathroom outfitted with a combine culinary efforts. A skylight shower, spa, dual basins and a private illuminates the work island, and the toilet.

Bedroom 11'6" x 12'

Storage

Associated Designs is the original source for the Grayling 10-207. For more information or to view other designs, visit www.AssociatedDesigns. com or call 800-634-0123.

Garage 23'4" x 21'8"

Arlen Brekkaas $699,900

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• 3 beds, 1 bath, workshop (wired/heated) Quonset-type shelter, 15 mins from town • Greenhouse, fenced pasture and natural gas backup gen. wired into the home!!

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• 2 bedroom unit with ensuite • Comes with 1 underground parking stall • Presently tenanted

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• 5 bedrooms, 2 baths, 50’ x 150’ lot • 24x32 garage with 12’ walls, an 8’ door • Walking distance to elementary and junior high plus parks and trails too

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• Walk-out basement possible here • Potential for legal rental suite development within a single family home building plan.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 A13

Local News lng from a3

“A continued focus on reconciliation with First Nations, particularly those on whose territory the project will be built, is critical to success,” the speech reads. “This spring, your government will bring forward measures to bring this historic project to fruition.” The throne speech also promised new legislation that would implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The legislation is being developed with the First Nations Leadership Council and other Indigenous organizations, according to the speech.

Earlier this month, the province said it was starting a new “reconciliation process” with a group of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposed to the $6.2-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline — a key component of the LNG Canada project. Despite unanimous support for the project among elected First Nation councils, a few hereditary chiefs blockaded roads in January to prevent pipeline workers from doing their work, resulting in 14 arrests. The province’s 2019 budget was announced Tuesday afternoon, after the News deadline.

submitted Photo

This year, the Nor’ Pioneer Women’s Institute collected a basket of baby items for the first girl born in Fort St. John hospital in February, Prestin Kenzie Lee.

February a month to recognize the work of Women’s Institutes In October 1933, seven women in the Cecil Lake-Erinlea area met and formed the Nor’ Pioneer Women’s Institute. They chose the name as they were the first W.I. branch in the North Peace. The W.I. was an organization formed in 1897 by Adelaide Hunter Hoodless of Stoney Creek, Ontario. She had watched the men form Farmer’s Institutes discuss better ways of farming and encourage one another. Why should women not do the same in their sphere of work? “A nation cannot rise above the level of its homes. Therefore, we women must work and study together to raise our homes to the highest possible level.” “For Home and Country” was the motto. The idea spread across Canada and then the world. In honour of Adelaide Hunter Hoodless, whose birthday was February 19, we celebrate this month with special events. This year, our group collected a basket of baby items for the first girl born in Fort St. John hospital in February, Prestin Kenzie Lee. In the 85 years since our branch was formed, many things have changed but much remains the same. We meet monthly at the hall or members’ homes. Programs may deal with topics such as

agriculture, health, crafts, education, legislation, or international affairs, topped up with visiting, laughter, and food. Projects include an annual fall supper to raise money for our emergency fund for medical travel or house fires; the Christmas Market, community games nights, catering for weddings, meetings or funerals, the Community Fall Fair in August, a community picnic, organizing the cemetery cleanup; a pen pal in Queensland, Australia; doing resolutions for government. Together with other clubs from the North and South Peace, we get together for a Spring Convention and a Fall Rally, and it’s here we find a wider range of friends. Together, we make donations to Children’s Hospital, provide bursaries to Northern Lights College, our provincial and federal offices, and to the Associated Country Women of the World. So, a welcome is extended to women of all ages to join with us, For Home and Country. To learn about women’s institutes in B.C., visit www.bcwi.ca. Dawn Bellamy is president of the Nor’ Pioneer Women’s Institute in Cecil Lake.

FORT ST. JOHN & DISTRICT CHURCH DIRECTORY

ANGLICAN CHURCH of CANADA NoRTH PEACE PARISH Please join us at our temporary location at the Peace Lutheran Church @ 1:30pm Ph: 250-785-6471 “All are Invited and Welcome Here” - (Luke 14:23) SERVICES St. Martin’s, fort St. John, BC Sundays 1:30 p.m. ********** Church of the Good Shepherd Taylor, BC - Sundays 10:00 a.m. ********** St. Matthias, Cecil Lake, BC 3rd Sun. of the Month 3:00 p.m. Holy Communion ********** BAHA’I fAITH BAHA’I fAITH National Baha’i Information 1-800-433-3284 Regular Firesides Mondays @ 8:00 p.m. Deepenings continued Wednesdays at 250-787-0089 Next Feast Info. 250-787-0089 ********** BAPTIST CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH 9607-107th Ave., fSJ Ph. (Office) 250-785-4307 Pastor: Michael Hayes Associate Pastor: Doug Janzen SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE 10:30AM ********** BAPTIST CHARLIE LAkE CoMMUNITY CHURCH 12731 244 B Road, Charlie Lake (1st left turn off the Alaska Hwy. past the Charlie Lake Store) 250-785-1723 office@charlielakechurch.com www.charlielakechurch.com Lead Pastor: Joshua Goetz Associate Pastor: Jared Braun Sunday Worship: 10:40 AM Sunday School during the service nursery-grade 6 ********** CATHoLIC RoMAN CATHoLIC CHURCH (Resurrection Church) Pastor: Rev. Aruldhas Lucas, SAC Phone 250-785-3413 www.fsjresurrectionchurch.com MASSES: Saturday 7:30 p.m. Sunday - 10:00 a.m. oNLY OFFICE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9:00 -12:00 noon & 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. BAPTISM: Contact the Pastor 3 months before baptism. MARRIAGES: Contact the Pastor 6 months before the wedding. **********

ALLIANCE CHURCH 9804-99 Ave., fort St. John, BC V1J 3T8 Ph: 250-785-4644 fax: 250-785-8932 e-mail: office@fsjalliance.ca www.fsjalliance.ca SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE: 9:15am & 11:00am kIDVILLE: for ages 2yrs.-Gr.6 @ 9:15am ********** CoMMUNITY PEACE CoMMUNITY CHURCH 10556-100th Street, Taylor, BC Pastor: Wally Pohlmann Phone: 250-789-3045 HoURS: 9:00am-Noon Monday-Wednesday & friday Email: office@taylorchurch.ca Website: www.taylorchurch.ca SUNDAY ADULT CLASS - 9:30am SUNDAY WoRSHIP SERVICE - 10:30am ********** EVANGELICAL foRT ST. JoHN EVANGELICAL MISSIoN 8220-89th Avenue, fSJ Sunday School September-June begins at 9:30am Sunday mornings. Worship Service - 10:45am Phone: 250-787-2550 ******* INTERDENoMINATIoNAL UPPER PINE GoSPEL CHAPEL Church Phone: 250-827-3833 Email: upgc@pris.ca Board Chairman: Andy Burkholder 250-827-3811 Box 66, Rose Prairie, BC ********** LUTHERAN PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 9812-108th Avenue, fort St. John, BC V1J 2R3 Office Phone: 250-785-2718 Pastor: Rev. Kebede Dibaba Regular Worship Schedule: 9:00am Youth, Adult Bible Study 10:00am Sunday Worship Service & Sunday School ********** PEACE RIVER MUSLIM ASSoCIATIoN Information: 250-787-1264 Jumm’a (Friday) Prayer @ 1:00pm 203-10903-100th Street, fort St. John, BC email: tahermorsi@shaw.ca ********** MENNoNITE NoRTH PEACE MENNoNITE BRETHREN CHURCH North Peace Mennonite Brethren Church 10816 106 St. fort St. John, BC V1J 5V2 250-785-3869 Lead Pastor: Andrew Eby Associate Pastor of Youth & Young Adults: Don Banman SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES: 9:00am & 11:00am **********

MENNoNITE MoNTNEY MENNoNITE CHURCH SUNDAY MoRNING: Sunday School & Worship: 9:30am SUNDAY EVENING: 2nd & 4th Sundays: 7:00pm Everyone Welcome! Pastor Warren Martin Phone: (250) 827-3231 ********** NoNDENoMINATIoNAL CHRISTIAN LIfE CENTRE “Associated with “Fellowship of Christian Assemblies” “King Jesus is Lord Over the Peace” 8923-112th Avenue, fort St. John, BC V1J 6G2 website: www.christianlifefsj.ca Ph: 250-785-4040 fax: 250-785-4021 Pastor Steve Oboh Principal of Christian Life School: Garry Jones Everyone Welcome Sunday Morning Worship Service: 10:00am Nursery available and Sunday School is held during the sermon for ages 3-12 years. Christian Life Centre is “Home of Christian Life School” ********** foRT ST. JoHN NATIVE BIBLE fELLoWSHIP Sunday Worship: 11:00am Wed., Night Bible Study: 7:30pm Pastor John A Giesbrecht 250-785-0127 ********** GIDEoNS INTERNATIoNAL Fort St. John Camp Ray Hein 250-827-3636 John Giesbrecht 250-785-0127 ********** NoRTHERN LIGHTS CHURCH INTERNATIoNAL (Rose Prairie, BC Sunday Service: Pre-Service Prayer: 10:30am Worship Service: 11:00am Everyone Welcome ********** THE SHELTER CHURCH “...the Lord will be a shelter for His people” Joel 3:6 9808-98A Ave. fort St. John, BC 250-785-3888 SUNDAY SERVICE: 10am Pastor: Oral Benterud 250-785-9151 ********** PENTECoSTAL THE PENTECoSTALS of foRT ST. JoHN Phone: 250-787-9888 Pastor: Jason McLaughlin Sunday 10am Service, Sunday School Youth Sunday 11am Worship Service Tuesday 7pm Prayer Wednesday 7pm Bibile Study Friday 7pm Youth **********

PENTECoSTAL ASSEMBLIES of CANADA EVANGEL CHAPEL 10040-100 St., fort St. John Phone: 250-785-3386 Fax: 250-785-8345 Lead Pastor: Tony Warriner Sunday Services: 9:30am, 11:00am www.evangelfsj.com ********** The Journey 10011-100 St., fort St. John Phone: 250-785-6254 Pastor: Larry Lorentz Services: Sundays: 10:30am Tuesdays: 7:00pm **********

PRESBYTERIAN fort St. John Presbyterian Church 9907-98th St., fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-2482 fax: 250-785-2482 12:30 p.m. - Pie and Coffee 1:00 p.m. - Worship Service Everyone is invited to participate ********** REfoRMED TRINITY CoVENANT CHURCH Sunday Service: 10:00am Meets at the The Plaza 8111 100th Ave fort St. John, BC Elder: Desmond Jones Phone: 250-785-8289 www.trinitycovenant.ca matthew@trinitycovenant.ca Affiliated with C.R.E.C. ********** THE SALVATIoN ARMY THE SALVATIoN ARMY Sunday Worship Service: 10:30am 10116-100th Ave., fort St. John, BC Come Worship With Us. For information; Phone 250-785-0506 or food Bank 250-785-0500 ********** SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 9008-100th Avenue, fort St. John, BC Phone: 250-785-8632 Pastor: Cavin Chwyl Phone: 250-719-7949 Saturday Service: 9:30am ********** UNITED CHURCH of CANADA ST. LUkE’S UNITED 9907-98 St., fort St. John, BC Office: 250-785-2919 Rev. Rick Marsh Email: stlukeuc@telus.net Sunday Worship Service @ 10:00am All are Welcome! The United Church of Canada is a Union of Congregationalist, Methodist & Presbyterian Churches in Canada formed in 1925.

A14 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

ARTS PERSPECTIVES & CULTURE

Love is always in the air, for those who believe in it

How do you learn as a family? Tell us #FamilyLiteracyDay fl Have a shapes scavenger hunt, taking turns ﬁnding shapes indoors and outdoors. Then make each shape with your body — kids and adults work together.

LEARN AT PLAY, EVERY DAY.

Imagine your family is anywhere in the world! Pick a spot on the map and learn about that country together online.

Find more ways to learn at play as a family at www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca

HOROSCOPE ARIES (MARCH 21 TO APRIL 19) Today your close friends and partners are more important to you than usual. Be prepared to compromise and give a little. TAURUS (APRIL 20 TO MAY 20) Today you might have to put your own emotional considerations second to the wants and needs of someone else. Nevertheless, it is gratifying to help others. GEMINI (MAY 21 TO JUNE 20) Today it’s difficult to conceal your feelings from others. Romance and playful friendships are more important to you, which is why you feel protective of others. CANCER (JUNE 21 TO JULY 22) Today you might want to retire to a private place and escape the demands of your outside world. If you can cocoon at home, you can catch your breath. LEO (JULY 23 TO AUG. 22) Conversations with others are more real today, which is why you want to lay your cards on the table. You don’t want to waste time in superficial chitchat about the weather. VIRGO (AUG. 23 TO SEPT. 22) Today it’s easy to identify with something that you own, which is why you don’t want to lend it. You want to protect your things. (You don’t even want to spend your money.)

For Thursday February 21 2019

LIBRA (SEPT. 23 TO OCT. 22) The Moon is in your sign today, which gives you a stronger need to belong and relate to others. You also will be emotionally giving to others because you need this connection. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 TO NOV. 21) Today you are tempted to withdraw and keep your feelings to yourself because you feel private. You don’t feel much like socializing, and that’s just fine. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 TO DEC. 21) Your emotional contact with friends is important to you today. If a friend has something personal to say, it will touch you deeply. You will feel supportive to someone. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 TO JAN. 19) Today some personal details about your life might be on public display for some reason. Or you find it difficult to hide certain facts. Avoid public arguments with others. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 TO FEB. 18) Today you need to break away from your daily routine and do something different! Travel will please you. Or you might take a mental journey through film and books. PISCES (FEB. 19 TO MARCH 20) Today your emotional experiences are more intense than usual. This is why you might be attracted to intense, powerful people. Avoid conflict about shared possessions.

any things have changed drastically as human beings have progressed through ages, and now we live in the era of globalization. Modern concepts of science, arts, humanities, and technology have led to tremendous achievements. Social and personal relationships have been shaped and influenced by many factors, including commercialization. The good thing about business is that it’s an exchange process that benefits both parties, if done fairly, and trade has benefited billions of human beings throughout history, and presently. Too much commercialization, as we see today, isn’t good, of course, and shouldn’t be allowed to affect us, particularly when it comes to human relationships and things like love and care. In an ideal world, love for people and social development will hopefully continue to remain much stronger than the challenges associated with excessive commercialization and rapid globalization. When I think about my childhood, I see memories of being close to my parents and family, reading classic books, attending school, and falling in love at first sight, which has, thankfully, given me a loving wife and three wonderful children. These are pleasant thoughts. Fortunately, love has never been affected much by macro or micro environmental factors. Whether one thinks about the history of Greeks or Mesopotamians, Romans or Egyptians, love simply remains the same fascinating beautiful feeling, and a flower which has always grown everywhere. It can be found in every corner of the world and the universe. No specific definition, and no boundaries, make it unique. When I notice that globalization is causing families to grow apart (sometimes four family members nowadays live in four different continents), I also think positively about how developments in communications have shrunk those distances. Videoconferencing and teleconferencing are certainly not a substitute of face-to-face meetings, but they certainly provide the connection, and the

Faisal Rashid energetic feelings. Romance sometimes takes the form of relationships, and, if not, no worries because the feeling of love is itself sufficient. I believe if I took individuals into an isolated room for discussions and ask them if they have a broken heart, almost everyone will confess that their heart was broken at some point in their lives. Well, broken hearts are great too, as they teach many lessons and make people stronger. However, I would like my children to be successful in romance and relationships, rather than having their hearts broken. Never do I want them to feel even a glimpse of tragedies of Romeo and Juliet, Layla and Majnun, or Khosrow and Shirin. It would be great if they think deeply about how they need to work for humanity with love, affection, and responsibility. Caring for people, feeling the sorrow of more than a billion people affected by poverty and pain on our planet, fostering cooperation among civilizations, planting trees, and preserving the environment are fabulous forms of love. One can live in the cold of Iceland or Greenland and feel for the fellow human beings in the Sahara desert. Love is so diverse in its meanings, and so beautiful in all forms and colours. One can reach the heights of outer space, and work as an astronaut to gain knowledge that can help humanity. When a Malaysian plane went missing a few years ago, it was sad to know about the tragedy, but very encouraging to see how pilots and teams of many nations came together for the search and rescue efforts. Many of them did not speak a common language, but it was inspiring to see their flights in risky regions of the world, for fellow human beings. Such actions and feelings unite people, and make me believe that love for humanity is something that is eternal, and so beautiful that it cannot be fully described. Also, it is everywhere, for those who believe in it. As Oscar Wilde once said, “To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.”

OCD Controls Friend Dear Annie: I have a friend, “Sarah,” who openly admits to having obsessive-compulsive disorder but isn’t receiving any kind of treatment for it. She’s a middleaged housewife with no need or desire to work. Now she has taken up crochet. What could possibly go wrong? She buys huge quantities of the cheapest, coarsest yarn I’ve ever seen. Then she crochets it up. It’s obvious she has no concept of counting stitches, paying attention to detail or even looking at the finished product. I was there when another woman tried to tell her, very kindly and politely, what she needs to learn, even suggesting a local yarn store that offers lessons. That just made Sarah angry, and she said she already knows everything she needs to know about crochet. Sarah has covered her house with this stuff, and now she’s started giving it to me. I thank her kindly and then throw it out. However, I’m starting to feel like some kind of enabler. Now Sarah’s hands are all cramped up. Her doctor gives pain medication for it, and she keeps on crocheting. Her adult daughter who lives with her says Sarah has a crochet hook in her hand from the minute she wakes up until she falls asleep at night. Do you know any way I could suggest to Sarah that she needs mental help for her OCD rather than medication for her over-

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

stressed hands? Other than the OCD, she’s a really nice person. I’m worried she’ll develop an addiction to the pain medication. -- Worried for My Friend Dear Worried: You can and should express your concerns to Sarah. Do so with an open mind and without judgment, to avoid putting her on the defensive (though I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that, as you seem to be a thoughtful friend). Ease into the conversation by asking general questions about how she’s doing. Then tell her you’ve noticed that the crocheting seems to be impacting her health, with the hand cramping and subsequent need for pain medication. You might ask whether she’s ever followed up about her OCD diagnosis and say that though you know it’s up to her, you think it might be really helpful for her to see a counselor for some insights. Cognitive behavioral therapy can be a very effective treatment for OCD and could give your friend a much better quality of life. Seeing as an adult daughter lives with her, you might try having a private conversation with the daughter about your concerns and see whether she will join you in encouraging Sarah to seek help.

As for when she gives you her crochet creations, it’s perceptive of you to suspect that you are enabling her, and I think you’re probably right. Gently but definitively put your foot down and say you really can’t accept any more. Dear Annie: I’m not a coffee drinker, but I still wanted to let you know that you propagated a common error in your column by saying, “Coffee causes dehydration -- so in the long run, drinking too much coffee will slow you down more than speed you up.” Coffee and other caffeinated drinks do not cause dehydration. Caffeine itself is dehydrating, and taking straight caffeine could make one dehydrated. However, caffeinated drinks are only less hydrating than noncaffeinated drinks. The loss of fluid from the caffeine content is less than the hydration provided by the water in the drink. If this weren’t the case, there would be a lot of dried-up husks wandering the streets, as there are way too many people who drink only caffeinated beverages! -- Steve Dear Steve: After looking into this, I see that you’re right that coffee does not actually dehydrate drinkers. I apologize for printing misinformation. Thanks for setting me straight. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. To find out more about Annie Lane and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2017 CREATORS.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 A15

CoffeeSCorner OLD $269,900 8820 92A St, MLS# R2336952

Excellent starter home located across the street from Mathews Park and a short walk to the mall and restaurants..

$549,900 14466 275 Rd, MLS# R2299430

Located 18 minutes NW of Fort St John on a gorgeous 1/4-section of land. The property features: a 16x76’ SRI modular home built in 2010,

$999,000 Part Sec 7 Charlie Lake, MLS# R2276256

$449,900 9314 N 97 Hwy MLS# R2307879

$15.50/sq. ft + NNN C, 10503 - 89 Ave, MLS# C8012981

150-acre property located on Charlie Lake offering approximately 500 meters of waterfront bordered by rock cliffs on both sides.

10.87 acres of prime R5 land with a 48x60’ shop/garage 13 minutes NW of Fort St John.

3600 sq. ft. attached shop available for lease. Office reception area +3000 sq ft 2 bays shop. No drop-ins.

$1,895,000 13134 Lakeshore Drive, MLS# R2301347

$1,189,000 13793 Golf Course Road MLS# R2316215

$2,900,000 1-5 22022 Cypress Creek Road MLS# R2331342

One of a kind custom executive lakefront home on 4.67 acres. This prestigious 5000sq ft beauty also includes a 40x60 shop,

TODAYS PUZZLE

Stunning waterfront property with high-end features, located next to the Charlie Lake Golf Course.,

Custom built 3300sqft log home lodge and outdoor retreat sitting on 662 acres.

hOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started. Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box. PREVIOUS PUZZLES ANSWERS

PREVIOUS PUZZLES ANSWERS

CLUES DOWN 1. Detailed drawing 2. Class of comb jellies

3. Musical symbol 4. Hall of Fame ballplayer Rod 5. Pouch 6. Split 7. Having wings 8. Set aside 9. Midway between northeast and east 10. Daughter of Acrisius 11. Periods of time 12. Rapper Ice __ 13. Any of several candies 21. Units of loudness

ANSWER : 2 AND 6

42. A way to understand 43. Actors’ organization 44. Beach hut 45. Disappointment 46. Police officer 47. Digital audiotape 48. Western Thai people 49. Of a polymer 52. Secret political clique 55. Sound unit 56. Cavalry sword 60. Whale ship captain 61. Eastern Austria spa town 63. Holds food 64. Filippo __, Saint 65. Holds bottles of milk 66. Intestinal pouches 67. Arab ruler 68. Chicago political family 69. “Transparent” actress Kathryn

• • • • • • • • • • • •

by Why did the ba y? cr y rr be w ra st

Have you heard the joke about the butter?

A: I’d better not tell you; it might spread.

CLUES ACROSS 1. Civil rights organization 5. Cause to lose courage 10. Outside entertaining area 14. Botswana currency 15. Comedic Actor Tim 16. Barbary sheep 17. German river 18. Take 19. Catches 20. Eating houses 22. Consumed 23. Lawyers try them 24. Hugh Jackman character 27. Basics 30. No (Scottish) 31. Duct 32. Athlete who plays for pay 35. Unit of distance 37. Female bird 38. Predatory reptile 39. Regions 40. Dishonorable man 41. Dry white Italian wine

23. Central nervous system 25. Resinous secretion of insects 26. 007’s creator 27. Separate from 28. Exposes to view 29. Harsh squeaking sound 32. Fishing vessel (Naut.) 33. Western Ukrainian city 34. The sea 36. Unhappy 37. Old miserable woman 38. Corn comes on it 40. Guinea pig-like mammal 41. Self-immolation by fire rituals 43. Fifth note of a major scale 44. Automobile 46. Military title (abbr.) 47. Expunge 49. Chadic language Bura-__ 50. Something you win 51. Grab 52. Town in Galilee 53. Polite interruption sound 54. Italian Seaport 57. La __ Tar Pits 58. “To __, his own” 59. Tom Clancy hero Jack 61. These three follow A 62. One of Napoleon’s generals

BLOOD BYPASS CAPILLARIES CARDIAC CATHETER CHAMBER CHOLESTEROL CONGENITAL DEFIBRILLATOR DIURETIC EMBOLISM ENLARGED

ENZYMES FAILURE HEARTBEAT IRREGULAR PRESSURE PULSE SAC STRESS TACHYCARDIA TESTING TRANSPLANT VEINS

Material for your weekly game page

What did the hamburger na me his daughter? A: Patty.

TODAY’S PUZZLE

• • • • • • • • • • • •

rents

ABDOMEN ABLATION ALVEOLI ANEURYSM ANGIOPLASTY AORTA ARTERIES ARTERIOSCLEROSIS ATRIUM ATTACK BACTERIA BIOPSY

pa A: Because his were in a jam.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

A16 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Local News

Museum News — February 2019 In these quieter winter months, we’re able to get caught up on our work behind the scenes here at the museum. Cataloguing of new artefacts continues, and shelves and boxes are reorganized as the new items are added. Our volunteers are also in the process of ordering some new items (and restocking some old ones) in our gift shop.

in full swing at the museum. We have two new offerings this year. Our Building the Alaska Highway Program is now available for grades 4-6 as well as grade one (original program) and high school. Call the museum at 250-787-0430 for more information on programs and tours.

Archives & Collections

• Heritage Day Saturday, February 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum The theme for this year’s Heritage Week is Heritage Stands the Test of Time. Find our what’s going on behind the scenes at the museum by taking a guided tour of our collections storage area and seeing several artefacts that are not currently on display. See a photo exhibit on local heritage buildings with past and present photographs juxtaposed. Guess the artefacts from the museum collection at the “What is it?” table. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

Did you know that the museum collects obituaries? If you have a recently deceased relative who lived in this area and have not posted his/her obituary through Hamre’s or in the Alaska Highway News, please feel free to email it to the museum archives at fsjmarchives@ fsjmail.com or drop it off at the museum (we can scan and return it to you or keep it if you no longer want it) so that we can improve our records. School Programs

Upcoming Events

School programs are back

• North Peace Historical Society Annual General Meeting & Dinner Wednesday, February 27, at 6 p.m. (Dinner at 6:30) at the museum The North Peace Historical Society’s Annual General Meeting will take place at the museum this year. We’ll be eating a turkey dinner from Aniela’s Kitchen followed by dessert. After dinner, we’ll have a short meeting to look back at what we accomplished this last year. Our guest speaker this year is Jim Little who will be telling stories of his time as a surveyor and employee of the Ministry of the Environment. Everyone is welcome! You don’t need to be a member to attend; you only need a membership to vote. The ticket cut-off date was February 13. A few tickets may still be available to purchase; please contact the museum at 250787-0430 for more information. Exhibits • Shears, Sutures, and Syringes: Unusual Medical Instru-

ments Used Through the Years, Now until May 2019 at the Fort St. John Hospital Shears, Sutures, and Syringes showcases some of the weird, odd, or downright scary medical tools used throughout the years. All the artefacts in the display case are from the museum’s collection and most were used in the local hospitals! • Capturing the Past: Cameras of the North Peace, January 28 – June 2019 at the North Peace Regional Airport This exhibit showcases a few of the museum collection’s cameras that were used by prominent local people, including Dr. Kearney and Duncan Cran. • Say Yes to the Dress: A Journey through the History of Infant’s Clothing in Western Culture, Now until May 31, 2019 at the museum Our special exhibit this fall, winter and spring looks at the various tasks women undertook in the North Peace from typical women’s jobs like nurse

or teacher to less typical jobs such as trapper, interpreter, and politician. It also looks at a variety of handicrafts from mukluks to embroidered tablecloths made by local women. This is one of our largest exhibits with twenty-two interpretive signs spread out around the museum. These purple signs are integrated into many of our permanent exhibits, showing that women in this area were involved in all different kinds of work inside and outside this home. Marjo Wheat and Heather Sjoblom curated this exhibit. • Tools of the Frontier Tools of the Frontier looks at a variety of tools and their uses for trappers and homesteaders as well as the changes in technology over time. Summer student Walker Brady assembled this exhibit. Some changes to this exhibit will be made over the next few months. Check back often! Caty Virostek is manager and curator of the Fort St. John North Peace Museum.

2019 Cribbage Classic winners Winners from the 2019 Callison Zeunert Cribbage Classic held at the Lido Theatre on Feb. 10, 2019.

2nd - Tamra Kvikstad & Joyce Frocklage 3rd - Gerald Pope & Jim McElhaney 4th - Stephanie & Ricky Middleton

Featured style Division A: 1st - Mark Holmes & Robin DeRose 2nd - Steven Cooper & Nick Bonekamp 3rd - Todd & Tammy Koponyas 4th - Jocelyn Eisert & Sherry Tschick

submitted photo

74 teams entered the 2019 Cribbage Classic at the Lido.

Division B: 1st - Delores & Alyssa Flundra

Division C: 1st - Claire Breun & Florence Soule 2nd - Natalie Middleton & Robin Vandonselaar 3rd - Sherry & Dave Marshall 4th - Brenda Longman & Donna Steven

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Fort St. John Huskies finish regular season in first place and dominate 2018-19 NWJHL awards

All I wanted was a sled dog ride

DILLON GIANCOLA sports@ahnfsj.ca

The 2018-19 NWJHL regular season was a tough one for the Fort St. John Huskies, filled with ups and downs. Yet, when it’s all said and done, the Huskies finished the season in first place, as they did last year, and have earned a firstround bye and home-ice advantage for the entirety of the playoffs. The Huskies finished the year with a 23-10-3 record and 49 points, three ahead of the Dawson Creek Junior Canucks in second. The league was definitely more competitive this year, although that’s partly due to the Beaverlodge Blades not being in the league this season. The Huskies led the league with 56 points in 2017-18, and two more teams had 50 or more. This year, no team cracked that barrier. The season seemed to turn around on Jan. 26. The Huskies were coming off of three straight losses, all at home, and all against teams in the bottom-half of the standings. Then, on Jan. 26, the Huskies went down to Dawson Creek and embarrassed the Canucks 6-2. From there, they proceeded to win five of their remaining seven games in the season, including a 5-1 win over the County of Grande Prairie Kings in the last game of the season on Feb. 17, with nothing to play for. “Today was really about creating good habits and setting the tone for palyoffs. We want teams to be scared of us and we want to play our hearts out and win a championship,” said Captain Jeridyn Loewen. For now, the team has more than a week off to prepare for the second round and make sure its at

Dillon Giancola THE DILL ZONE

A DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Gary Loewen, second from left, receives the Huskies MVP award from coach Todd Alexander, assistant coach Gary Alexander, and general manager Jeremy Clothier at the team’s awards banquet on Feb. 17, 2019, at the Fort St. John Curling Club.

tip-top shape when it plays next, likely Friday, March 1 or Saturday, March 2. “It’s all about not letting off in practice, that’s where you push the pace and be ready. Teams will be ready to go after the first round, and we have to show teams early who we are,” Loewen said. Huskies win six of seven NPHL awards The Huskies held their annual team awards banquet on Sunday, Feb. 17. On Monday, Feb. 18, the NWJHL released its own awards, with the Huskies winning all but one of them. DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO Leading the charge was Gary Loewen, who was Gary Loewen tries to bury the puck in the net during the Huskies 5-1 win named the NWJHL MVP and against the County of Grande Prairie Kings on Feb. 17, 2019. Top Scorer after leading the league in scoring with 58 say other than it’s been a coach of the year for the points from 25 goals and 34 really good year, and taking second straight season. assists. Loewen was the first on a leadership role this Jared Loewen won Top Huskie to lead the league in year has definitely made a Defenceman, and was scoring since the 2009-2010 difference.” named Best Defenceman by season, and the Huskies “He doesn’t talk a lot, the Huskies as well and won named him the team’s MVP but when he does it means the team’s Wayne Gamble as well. something. He goes out hard Award for leadership as well. “It’s been a good season, every night and shows the Also winning league but I haven’t though about boys the right way to play,” awards were Aiden Craig the awards too much,” said said Coach Todd Alexander. Steele for Rookie of the Year the soft-spoken Loewen. “I Alexander took home and Jonathan Bateman for don’t really know what to league honours for Goalie of the Year.

Brayden Sims advances to boxing finals at Winter Games Brayden Sims is off to a hot start at the Canada Winter Games. He won his first two matches to advance to the final for the 60kg division on Wednesday, Feb. 20, after press time. In his first match on Feb. 17, Sims defeated Noah Squires of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was a dominant win by Sims, as he won by unanimous decision with all five judges giving Sims the nod in all three rounds. In the semi-final, Sims faced the defending national champ at 60kg, Jad Khabbaz of Quebec. Khabbaz was no challenge for Sims, however, as Sims won by TKO in the second TEAM B.C./ CANADA WINTER GAMES PHOTO round. Sims fought Justice Harborne of Brayden Sims, in blue, lands a hard shot to the head of Noah Squires during his first-round fight at the Canada Winter Games on Feb. 17, 2019. Manitoba in the final.

s far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to ride a bobsled. The same goes for being pulled by a sled dog team. Unfortunately, I’m starting to think neither of those things will ever happen. I’m still in my early 30s though, so I should probably relax. The thing is, I was really looking forward to going on a sled dog ride this weekend in Baldonnel at the High On Ice festival. When I heard that Northern Star Racing Kennel was giving free rides on Saturday, Feb. 16, I was elated. What an awesome idea to give community members an opportunity to do something that’s pretty rare. Unfortunately, everyone was just as excited as me, and the Kennel wasn’t able to facilitate all the people showed up. I had to leave without a ride. It’s not the end of the world, and it looks like I might get another chance next year. But it just shows how rare the sport of sled dog racing is in Canada, the country I associate most with the sport. It’s so rare that nobody really knows if it’s called a sled dog race or a dog sled race. Dog sled makes the most sense to me, but sled dog seems to be the term used by the pros. My first memory of sled dogs comes from the 1994 Disney film Iron Will. I haven’t watched it in a long time, but it was awesome. The 2002 movie Snow Dogs, however, with Cuba Gooding Jr., was definitely not. Not surprisingly, my love-affair with the sport of bobsledding, (or is it bobsleigh? These sports really have to get their act together) also begins with a Disney Film, the 1993 classic Cool Runnings. I loved that movie so much, and as funny as it was, my lasting memory is how scary it would be to go that fast down a slide made of ice. It doesn’t help that the team crashes in the end. Not only am I not friends with anyone who has rode in a bobsled, I also don’t know anyone who has been pulled by a pack of sled dogs. This isn’t acceptable. I know hockey is Canada’s sport, but we might as well add these two to the list. Neither of these sports involves skating so I have the advantage there. I want to go bobsledding so bad that I once almost went on a road trip from Edmonton to Salt Lake City, just to pay around $300 to go on one ride down the Olympic bobsled track. It almost certainly would not have been worth it, you probably don’t go that fast, and I’m pretty sure I could just drive to Calgary and do it there instead. Similarly, the sled dog rides last weekend didn’t seem as fast as I expected them to be. It was cold and they were tired, so that’s fair and maybe it’s better that I didn’t get a chance to go for a ride after all. After all, there’s nothing worse than crossing an item off your bucket list only to realize it shouldn’t have been on your list. You know the popular saying, “never meet your heroes?” That might be the same for sled dogs, but I’m determined to try anyway, and experience the thrill that forever exists in my dreams.

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B2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Local sports

Speed skaters Yuna Lovell, Amanda Mitchell and Brooke Braun win B.C.’s first medal at Canada Winter Games dillon giancola sports@ahnfsj.ca

The 2019 Canada Winter Games couldn’t have started any better for Fort St. John Elks figure skaters Yuna Lovell, Amanda Mitchell, Brooke Braun, and Josh Telizyn. The three girls, along with Laura Hall of Salmon Arm, won Team B.C.’s first medal of the games with a bronze in the team pursuit on Sunday, Feb. 17. The team pursuit is the race the skaters were most excited but unsure about, as they don’t regularly compete in it, so a bronze medal against Canada’s best is a huge accomplishment. “It is amazing, really great,” said Amanda Mitchell in a statement. “Honestly, it means so much. It means our hard work has paid off. It means that we are finally able to show something for all this work and years of dedication we have put into this sport.” Quebec won the event with a time of 3:28:70, Alberta won silver with 3:33:05, and B.C. was just more than a minute behind with a time of 3:44:99. There were seven teams competing in the race.

But that’s not all the girls have done — they’ve excelled in the individual races as well. Mitchell said her goal was to be in the top 15 in the 1500m, and she finished seventh in the 28-person field with a time of 2:21:44. Braun finished 16th, and Lovell was 20th. Lovell had a goal of finishing inside the top 10 in the 500m, but she surpassed that, coming in fourth, missing out on a medal by a combined time of just 0.76 seconds. Her time of 42.64 seconds was good enough for third in race one, and finished fourth in race two with a 43:41 time. Mitchell is known more for her long distances, but she impressed by coming in 10th, and Braun was 14th. As for Telizyn, he began the games with a 14th place finish in the 1500m on Saturday, Feb. 16 with a time of 2:08:58. He didn’t finish in the 500m and B.C. was seventh out of eight teams in the male team pursuit, but he still has the 1000m to come, his best race. The skaters had Monday off, but were back racing on Feb. 19 after press time, for the female 3000m and male 5000m. The 3000m is Mitchell’s best race and had a goal of finishing in the top 10.

B.C. Speed Skating photo

Yuna Lovell, Amanda Mitchell, Brooke Braun and Laura Hall after finishing third in the team pursuit at the Canada Winter Games on Feb. 17, 2019.

Striker Claire Turner joins UNBC Timberwolves women’s soccer team

Shaky start for Team Tardi at 2019 World Junior Curling Championships

The UNBC Timberwolves women’s soccer team has found some offensive punch with the addition of striker Claire Turner. Turner’s commitment to the club for the 2019 Canada West season was announced on Tuesday by the UNBC athletics department. Turner hails from Fort St. John and had made several visits to the UNBC campus before she decided the school was the right place for her. “The visits were a really big turning point for me,” she said. “I was able to meet the girls and they are all amazing.

Team Tardi’s quest for a secondstraight World Junior Curling Championship title hasn’t exactly been a breeze. As of press time on Feb. 19, Canada was tied for fourth in round robin standings with a 2-2 record. The team lost its first match of th tournament 8-7 to USA in extra ends. Canada, led by Tyler Tardi and Sterling Middleton playing in their third world championships, didn’t panic, and won their next two games. They beat Norway 6-4 and Switzerland

They are so kind and so inviting.” In Fort St. John, Turner was a member of the Northern Strikers. “I am so excited to add Claire to our program,” said UNBC coach Neil Sedgwick. “She will provide us with a hold-up play target who can also drop into midfield and make decisions which will help us keep possession. She knows our playing model well and we are looking forward to watching her progress as a Timberwolf.” Turner will enter the Biomedical Studies program at UNBC.

R0021217976

by a score of 8-3. In the fourth draw, Canada matched up against the undefeated Scotland team, but lost 8-7 in extra ends, after Canada stole a point in the 10th to force overtime. Scotland was 4-0 as of Feb. 19, and Norway was 3-1, with Canada being the only team to beat them. The tournament is certainly very competitive at the top this year, but Canada figures to put up a fight all week long and be in the playoffs when they begin on Friday, Feb. 19.

PRO GOLF WEEKLY UPDATE Golf News, Tips, Trivia & Stats

This Week in Pro Golf

Top News Stories

Answer : c) 2016

Last Weekend’s Race: Denny Hamlin won the Daytona 500

B4 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

LOCAL SPORTS

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Fort St. John Flyers goalie Travis McLean did his best to keep his team in Game Four on Feb. 12, 2019, and the series as a whole, but the team came up short, losing 6-4 in the game and 4-1 in the series.

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Easton Saccary brought his A-game to the crokicurl rink on Feb. 16, 2019, winning a game against his mother Dennette Saccary during the High On Ice festival.

Reid Campbell named league’s best defenceman as season ends for Flyers DILLON GIANCOLA sports@ahnfsj.ca

The NPHL announced its regular season award winners for the 2018-19 regular season last weekend. Taking home major awards for the Fort St. John Senior Flyers were Reid Campbell for Best Defenceman and Rick Cleaver for Best Left Wing. From Chris Clegg at nphl.com: “Fort St. John’s Reid Campbell has won his first NPHL Best Defenceman award, and becomes the third Flyer overall to win the award. Campbell posted 1022-32 points this season to place him second on the Flyers and 10th overall in the NPHL. But points were not his only forte, he combined strong defensive play in helping the Flyers to the third best defensive record in the NPHL.” The previous Flyers players to win

Best Defenceman were Bryan Lewis (2005-06) and Kip Noble (2007-08, 2008-09). Cleaver won his third award for Best Left Wing in the last four seasons. He had 17 goals, 20 assists, and 37 points, good enough for seventh most points in the league and first on the Flyers. Cleaver had won the NPHL MVP award the last three seasons. This year, the award went to the man who co-won the award with Cleaver last year — Manning Commets goalie Braden Gamble. This is Gamble’s fourth time winning league MVP. Cleaver and Campbell also won West Division All-Star honours, for best left win and defenceman, respectively. Joining them is teammate Lien Miler-Jeannotte at right wing. MillerJeannotte received the same amount of votes as Brett Norman of the Dawson

Creek Senior Canucks, and both were named All-Stars. Eliminated from playoffs The awards are a nice recognition, but it doesn’t cover up the disappointment of the Flyers’ season. The team was bounced from the playoffs in Game Five last Thursday, Feb. 14, 6-3, by the Grande Prairie Athletics. The team wasn’t terrible, but they were always a step behind Grande Prairie, especially on the road. Still, the Flyers definitely played their best hockey of the year in February, and the team can hang its hat on that in the time before the Coy Cup starts in March. “It’s certainly disappointing, but the boys gave it all they had. The guys will take the week off now before getting

back to practice for the Coy Cup,” said Flyers President Paul van Nostrand. The Flyers dominated the NPHL a year ago from start to finish, making one wonder how the team hadn’t won a championship in 10 years. This year’s team struggled from the get-go, revealing just how hard it really is to win a title in this league. “A whole bunch of things have to line up in order to win this very competitive league, and you need to be a bit charmed to come out on top. We struggled with some things, but we’ll dive back into it and I feel very confident going into the Coy Cup,” said van Nostrand. The one thing going in the Flyers’ favour is that the Coy Cup is taking place entirely in Fort St. John, where the team has been at its best and usually has a full bench. The Coy Cup goes March 26 to 30.

WONOWONMonthly 4-HReport BEEF CLUB Hi all!! I hope everyone didn’t get too cold this last couple months. Mother nature has been reminding us that we live in the North!! February is our Club Communications and calving time. With the weather its been hard to do both. Our Club Communications was held on February 2nd at Eckbert Weitzel’s. We really appreciate the time that the Judges spent with our Club on this cold -30 day.Thank so much for being there. This year we had 2 Sr. Demonstrations and 1Jr. Demonstration as well as 3 Sr. Educational Display Boards and a Sr. Speak and show. Because of the weather and calving my family did not go. We will be Judged at a later date. I would like to say Congratulations and great job to those who did their Presentations. District Communications will be held on March 1st at 6:30 P.M. I would like to thank the Judges in advance for their time and effort they put in to 4-H. All 4-H events depend on volunteer help,so as a 4-H member, I do not think we can say “Thanks” enough. It would be nice to see everyone again at District Communications.

M U E L O R T PE NEEDS

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We salute the dedicated kids of 4-H Keep up the great work! Delivery Service 6 Days a Week

One good thing about this cold weather is that our 4-H animals eat their grain better. We have learned that beef animals eat 3% of their body weight. A market steer can be fed a ration of 2% grain and the other 1% hay. For example 700 pound steer can eat 14 pounds of grain (2%) a day and 7 pounds of hay (1%) a day. This is why it is importuned to weigh your steer on a regular bases. We always catch and tie our 4-H animals before February because it is so busy with calving. We use horse treats to quiet them down. We don’t know why but everything loves horse treats. Most of our 4-H animals will eat the horse treats out of our hands. They love them so much that they will come running for them after a while. It works every year. Thanks again to CO-OP for sponsoring this page.

Grace Trask Wonowon 4-H Club reporter.

Grace Trask Wonowon Reporter

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 B5

Local Sports

Fort Bowling Lanes league standings: week 19

dillon giancola photo

Nigel Arnault of the Fantastics has an excellent game during Mixed League play on Feb. 6, 2019. Arnault will represent the league in the men’s division at the 2019 Intercity Bowling Tournament in Fairview.

High Series 1. The Fantastics - 3,921 High Single 1. The Fantastics - 1,524 Individiual Leaders Mens Single Flat - Kevin Alexander - 365 Mens Series Flat - Kevin Alexander - 844 Ladies Single Flat

High Averages Ladies 1. Marlene Bigcharles - 209 2. Brianna Warnock - 204 3. Nicole F. - 188 Mens 1. Kevin Alexander - 240 2. Percy Arnault - 219 3. Elvis Calahasen - 206 Coffee League Overall points / week 19 points 1. Ball Busters - 79 / 5 2. Shady Ladies - 74 / 3 3. Fab Five - 65 / 4 4. Five Alive - 62 / 6 5. Pin Poppers - 60 / 2 High Series Shady Ladies - 3,358 High Single Ball Busters - 1,230 Ladies Series Jeannette Ward - 636 Ladies Single Maria Baxter - 283 Ladies High Average 1. Joanne McGinnis - 179 2. Cindy Dettling - 167 3. Jeannette Ward - 166 Kids Leagues Ages 11 - 14 Boys Single Flat Logan Dalley - 250 Girls Singles Flat Destiny Bigcharles - 195

High Averages Boys 1. Logan Dufresne - 146 2. Logan Dalley - 139 3. Parker Mayes - 138 Girls 1. Destiny Bigcharles - 125 2. Tejana Walterlea - 123 3. Sierra Bigcharles - 96 Ages 8-10 Boys Single Flat Cade Hackman - 177 Girls Single Flat Brooklyn Bigcharles - 171 High Averages Boys 1. Cade Hackman - 115 2. Marcus Vandal - 95 3. Joel Newhook - 72 Girls 1. Brooklyn Bigcharles - 110 2. Emma Schram - 87 Ages 5-7 Boys Single Flat Bentley McPhee - 123 Girls Single Flat Natalie Richards - 108 High Averages Boys 1. Bentley McPhee - 85 2. Hayden Schram - 82 3. Josh Vandal - 79 Girls 1. Natalie Richards - 77 2. Tayah McPhee - 66 3. Sarah Dionne - 49 League play goes each Wednesday night, 7 to 9 p.m.

Alaska Highway News 2018/19

HOCKEY POOL

As of February 19 Send Trades

to Cam Martin -T12. Crosby cam@accro.ca Selects - 1213 1. EastSend Coast Trades Captain - to 1264 points Julian Dogs- 1213 William -T12. Dougsters Julian12@telus.net 2. Leafs Falling - 1263 14. Bash Bros - 1212 3. Wine Kitz - 1261 15. Braun - 1210 Goalie One _____________________________________________ 4. Yzerwings - 1258 16. AHN Sports - 1209 5. Kenmore Elite - 1250 17. Malkin In The Middle - 1196 Goalie Two _____________________________________________ T6. Do As I Seguin Not As I Drouin - 1249 T6. Last Place -AS 1249 POINTS FOLLOWS 8. Zachs Stars - 1244 GoalHasselhoff - 1234 1 Point 9. McDavid 10. Coast Coasters - 1223 Assist 1 Point 11. Datsukian - 1220

SHG

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18. Auston Power - 1182 19. OTMMJH GoalCanadiens - 1177 20. Got This One - 1167 Hat Trick 21. 2 Fast 4 U - 1159 22. MacLeod Shoot Out- 1046 Win Goal

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Box 1 C McDavid S Crosby T Hall N Kucherov A Matthews

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Mixed No Cap Overall points / week 19 points 1. The Fantastics - 162 / 12 2. Got Balls - 155 / 11 3. Good Time Girls- 132 / 5 4. Blue Balls - 126 / 10 5. Trouble - 119.50 / 6 6. Freeze Frame - 114 / 7 7. Bowl Movements - 102.50 / 8 8. Rusty Gates - 98 / 9 9. Comic Reliefs - 94 / 4 10. Big Chucksees - 93.50 / 2 11. Forever Friends - 82.50 / 1 12. Here 4 The Beer - 47 / 3

- Marlene Bigcharles - 340 Ladies Series Flat - Brianna Warnock - 764

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In the Wednesday Night league, new single game records were set for the men and ladies, with Marlene bigcharles jumping Brianna Warnock for best game. Fort Bowling Lanes is sending a group of 20 bowlers to Fairview this weekend, Feb. 22 to 24, for the annual Intercity Bowling Tournament, hoping to bring home regional honours in the men’s, ladies and mixed categories. Below are your standings after 19 weeks of play.

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B6 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

Classifieds

Book Your Ad Now!

Coming EvEnts

Tuesday February 26 at 1:30pm Income Tax Workshop. Learn about new changes. Presented by: Grace Peters Seniors’ Access Office in the Co-Op Mall-Dawson Creek

Acquired Brain Injury Support Group: ABI Support group meets every 2nd & 4th Thursday of month at 6:00pm at the Northern Brain Injury Association office: #11-1405 102 Ave Dawson Creek. Please call 250-719-4673 for more information. http://nbia.ca/

Have you thought about a career as a Registered Massage Therapist? Okanagan Valley College of Massage Therapy is hosting an Info Session in Fort St. John on Wednesday, April 10, 2019. Have questions? Practical Director Robynne Madill, RMT will be providing information about our massage therapy program and answering questions. Please call or email to register or for more information 800-7018863 heatherk@ovcmt.com www.ovcmt.com

PC Roots Group Meeting: 4th Sunday/month - from Sept-June 1:30pm in the Roots Building at NAR Park. Getting started on family tree research, need Help? Come learn & share experiences with other amateur genealogists. New members welcome. For more info call: Lynn- 250-7824058. Neil- 250-7827651. Website http://peacecountryroots.ca

General employment

Please join us on June 2nd for the 2nd annual Walk to End ALS. at the Greenspace at 100th Ave. & 100th St. Fort St. John, BC Registration for the event will begin at 10am. There will be food, music, games, raffles, activities and lots for the whole family to do. The walk is about 4km long but the route brings you back to the Greenspace multiple times, if you need to shorten your distance. We are encouraging you to sign up teams this year and challenge other teams to raise money as well. Sports team vs. sports team. Business vs. business. School vs. school. Create some competition and let’s make this year better than last! Go to this site to preregister for this walk: events.alsbc.ca.

Caregiver/Nanny for hire: To look after my (3) children; 15 year old; 9 year old & 5 year old girls. Permanent, full-time at a rate of $14.00/hour for 40 hours/week. Completion of Secondary School/Some College/CEPEG/Vocational. 1 to 2 years of experience supervision or care for children. Accomodation available on a live-in basis at no cost but is not a condition of employment. Main duties include: supervise and care, assist/guide children on personal hygiene; meal preparation; organize and participate in children’s activities and may perform light housekeeping. Applicants may apply via email: gelinemdetorres@yahoo.com

Mile “O” Quilter’s Guild meets every Tuesday & Thursday in Dawson Creek at KPAC in Studio #10 at 7pm SUNDAYS: FAMILY TREE HELP - Peace Country Roots Group Meeting - Fourth Sunday of each Month at the CALVIN KRUK CENTRE in Dawson Creek 1:30pm Announcements

GET RESULTS! Post a classified in 97 newspapers in just a few clicks. Reach almost 2 million people for only $395 a week for 25-word text ad or $995 for small display ad. Choose your province or all across Canada. Best value. Save over 85% compared to booking individually. www.bccommu nitynews.com/advertise or 1-866-669-9222. Announcements

Dawson Creek Seniors Hall Activities 1011 McKellar Ave. Floor curling, carpet bowling, pool, line dancing, bridge, crib, darts, bingo, Wellness Exercise, craft classes. Schedules are available at the hall. Come and see our hall and try out our activities. SATURDAYS: LEARN YOUR ROOTS - Genealogy information NAR PARK ROOTS BUILDING 10:00am peacecountryroots.ca South Peace Historical Society Meetings Third Wednesday of the month. In Dawson Creek at the Calvin Kruk Centre Archives Room at 2 pm. Announcements

ApArtments/ Condos for

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With heavy hearts we announce the passing of

PC Roots Group Building Open: Every Saturday Sept-June 10:00am-12:00pm to members wanting to use the genealogy library. A member will be available by appointment to anyone requiring help on how to get started on your family history. Everyone is welcome. We are located in the small building in NAR Park. For appointment call: Lynn- 250-7824058. Neil- 250-7827651. Website http://peacecountryroots.ca

Frances Watts of Fort St. John who passed peacefully on

February 5, 2019 at 89 years of age. Services for Frances will be held at a later date. Cremation arrangements entrusted to the care of

Save the Dates July 12, 13, 14, 2019 for the Mile Zero Cruisers Silver Anniversary Summer Cruise weekend Bring down your pride and joy and register for the Car Show weekend. For online Registration and more information: MileZeroCruisers.com

For Sale MiSc

Phone: 250-785-2662

Thursday at 9:30 amNew Beginnings Baptist Church in DC, 10221-18th St.-TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). Phone: Gail at 250-782-7208 for more info.

Child Caregiver: 8 years old girl & 2 year old boy. $14.00 per hour. Permanent-40 hours per week. Employer’s home/94 Ave, Completion of Secondary School, some college/ CEPEG/Vocational or technical training in child care or related field. 1 to 2 years supervision of children. Main duties: Assist children on personal hygiene. Plan, prepare meals for children, participate in games, reading and may perform light housekeeping. Accommodations could be made available on a live-in basis at no cost. But not a condition of employment. Apply by email: herbert_barateta@yah oo.com

LegaL/PubLic Notices

SAWMILLS from only $4,397 - MAKE MONEY & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info & DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT 1800-567-0404 Ext:400OT.

ApArtments/ Condos for

Li-Car Management Group

We have a variety of apartments, town homes, executive homes, and duplexes for rent. To apply for these,please email reception@licar.ca or visit our website at www.licar.ca

LegaL/PubLic Notices

South Peace Players present “Skirts on Fire”, a production at Kiwanis Performing Arts Centre , 1040110th Street, Dawson Creek. Thursday March 7th at 7:30 pm Friday, March 8th at 7:30 pm Saturday,March 9th at 7:30 pm Sunday, March 10th at 2:00 pm-matinee Tickets for sale at Simple Pleasures in Dawson Creek. All tickets are $20 in advance; $23 at the door.

0803408 BC Ltd dba SS Automotive is in the possession of the following vehicle. If the owed amount is not paid, This vehicle will be sold at Taylor Frontage Rd on Mar 7, 2019.

Hamre’s Funeral Chapel.

MAKE

MODEL

YEAR

VIN

OWED

NAME

Honda

Civic

2008

2HGFG21528H101111

$6995.25

0940133 BC LTD

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of

Court Bailiff’s Sale

Mark Shuster of Fort St. John who passed away February 9, 2019 at 87 years of age. Mark leaves to mourn one daughter and four sons. As per the families wishes there will be no services at this time.

Cremation arrangements entrusted to the care of Hamre’s Funeral Chapel.

The Court Bailiff will offer for sale by sealed bid the interest of the judgment debtor, Micci’s Pub Inc., Gregory Earl Hornshaw, Beverly Ann Hayashi, in the following goods and chattels, purported to be: 1 (ONE): 2006 PONTIAC MONTANA VAN VIN: 1GMDX33LX6D209571 COLOR: BROWN Sold on an as is, where is basis.

Sealed bids will be received at the court bailiffs office at the noted address below, up to the hour of 1:00 p.m., Monday, March 04, 2019. The highest offer or any offer not necessarily accepted.

Sale may be subject to cancellation without notice. The court bailiff reserves the right to adjourn the sale without notice and may apply to the court for further direction if the need arises. Terms of Sale: Each bid must be accompanied by bank draft or money order for 10% of the bid made payable to the court bailiffs office. The balance of the bid, plus Social Services Tax and GST (if applicable), to be paid immediately upon acceptance if the bid, Failure to pay the balance at the agreed time may resulting forfeiture of the deposit. To view the vehicle, call or visit Joyce Smith or Jen Smith Court Bailiff’s Expert Bailiff & Collection Services Ltd. 10315 -100th Avenue Fort St John BC 250-785-9222

Are You Foster Care Aware? More foster homes are needed in your Community.

Application No. 109801

Foster Parent Information Session

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NOTICE Application for a Permit amendment Under the Provisions of the Environmental Management Act

First Monday of every month

(lunchtime and evening sessions)

We, Tourmaline Oil Corporation, 3700 250 6th Ave SW Calgary, AB, T2P3H7, intend to submit this application to the Director to authorize the discharge of (air emissions, from a Deepcut Gas Plant (Propane Recovery). The sources of discharge are Seven (7x) Gas Engine Driven Compressors, Three (3x) Gas Engine Driven Electrical Generators, Two (2x) Direct Fired Heaters, and one (1x) High Pressure Flare.

10142 101 Ave, Fort St. John Register:

250-785-6021 ext. 235

The land upon which the facility will be situated and the discharge will occur is C-60-A/094-B-16, located near Fort St. John, BC, within the Approximately 25 km northwest of Wonowon, BC, via Mile 109 Rd, Mile 120 Rd and Gundy Connector, within the Peace River District on Crown land. The maximum rate of air emissions discharged from this facility will be 47.49 m3/s (Dry) . The operating period for this facility will be (24 hours/day). The characteristics of the waste discharged are as follows: Nox: 5.904 g/s, CO: 27.512 g/s, VOCs: 6.747 g/s, SOx: 0 g/s, TP: 1.154 g/s. The type(s) of treatment to be applied to the discharge is/are: Waste heat recovery on six prime compressor drivers and all engines include lean burn technology with automatic air-fuel ratio control.

Dated this 15th day of February, 2019. 540060

A memorial service for the late Hilda “Heather” Gilmour of Fort St. John will be held Saturday, February 23rd at 1:30 pm from the Peace Lutheran Church in Fort St. John with a fellowship to follow. Condolences may be forwarded through to Hamre’s Funeral Chapel at www.hamresfuneral.com

Any person who may be adversely aﬀected by the proposed discharge of waste and wishes to provide relevant information may, within 30 days after the last date of posting, publishing, service or display, send written comments to the applicant, with a copy to the Regional Manager, Environmental Protection at British Columbia Oil & Gas Comission at Fort St John 6534 Bag 2, Fort St John, BC, V1J 2B0 The identity of any respondents and the contents of anything submitted in relation to this application will become part of the public record.

(Signature)

Contact Person: Duane Peperkorn

Telephone No.: (403) 515-3357

250-785-5631 classifieds@ahnfsj.ca

ApArtments/ Condos for

Dawson Creek Northern Lights Apartments has 1 Bedroom/Bachelor Apartments Available. Cable/Heat, Water/Hot Water Included. Please Phone : 250-782-7130. ASK FOR INCENTIVES

Houses For rent

Mobile for Rent South of Pouce for Working Person. $795. + Utilities. wonowon@shaw.ca

Office/Retail 1400 SQ FT. Large reception area and 4 smaller offices. Highway frontage. 250-785-3433

Rooms Two rooms furnished for rent $600.00 a month. Phone 1-780-287-8118 in Fort St John B.C. I am very easy going person. Steel BuildingS / granarieS STEEL BUILDING SALE...”REALLY BIG SALE-EXTRA WINTER DISCOUNT ON NOW!!” 20X21 $5,726. 25X25 $6,370. 30X31 $8,818. 32X33 $8,995. 35X35 $12,464. One end wall included. Pioneer Steel 1-855-212-7036. www.pioneersteel.ca

Business OppOrtunities

Please Recycle this Newspaper

INVENTORS WANTED! Do you have a new product idea, but you’re not sure where to start?

CALL DAVISON TODAY

1-800-218-2909 OR VISIT US AT

Inventing.Davison.com/BC

GET YOUR FREE INVENTOR’S GUIDE! TROUBLE WALKING? HIP or KNEE REPLACEMENT, or other conditions causing restrictions in daily activities? $2,000 tax credit. $40,000 refund cheque/rebates. Disability Tax Credit. 1844-453-5372

LegaL/PubLic Notices

CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer Employment/Licensing loss? Travel/Business opportunities? Be embarrassed? Think: Criminal Pardon. US Entry Waiver. Record Purge. File Destruction. Free Consultation 1-800-3472540. accesslegalmjf.com

Houses for sale

House for sale by owner 4 bdrm, 1 & 1\2 bath. Full bsmt, central location. $550,000. 9427-97Ave To view call 250-785-4747

ApArtments/ Condos for

BIRCHVIEW MANOR Furnished and Unfurnished 1 Bedroom Suites. Adults Only, Senior Discount. Bus Stop at Front Door. 250-784-5817

Career OppOrtunities

encana The Encana Events Centre (www.dawsoncreekeventscentre.com) operated by Spectra Venue Management (www.SpectraExperiences. com) is the premier event facility providing a wide range of sports and entertainment opportunities for the Alberta and British Columbia Peace Region. We are currently seeking a Facility Operator who is mature, highly motivated, and a customer-focused team player possessing a positive attitude. The Facility Operator will assist the Chief Engineer in the overall facility maintenance including the preparation and maintenance of the ice surface, automated building controls, HVAC and electrical systems, preventative maintenance programs, and general building repairs. Duties include, but are not limited to, the repair of machinery, performing preventive maintenance of HVAC and boiler systems and general equipment such as plumbing, electrical and refrigeration systems. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal, mechanical aptitude, computer and communication skills along with being able to work within a team environment. Minimum requirements include 5th Class Refrigeration Endorsement, Refrigeration Operator, or 4th Class Power Engineering ticket. This position can be physically demanding, and evening and weekend shifts will be required. Your ability to work with minimum supervision, performs duties in a safe manner, and consistently demonstrates efficient, effective use of time and resources will ensure your success. This position is full time and comes with a competitive wage and a comprehensive benefits package. Please mail your cover letter and current resume to the attention of Tylor Hawkins, Director of Operations, Spectra Venue Management, # 1, 300 Highway 2, Dawson Creek, BC V1G 0A4, or email to thawkins@ dawsoncreekeventscentre.com. We appreciate all applications; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019 B7

COMMUNITY

Fort St. John seniors treated to dance, sweet eats for Valentine’s Day Fort St. John firefighters, police officers, and high school students showed their love for the community’s seniors for Valentine’s Day this year. First, firefighters dropped by the hospital to join residents of Peace Villa for an evening of dancing, which firefighters say is “one of our favourite annual activities.” At North Peace Secondary, Senior Alt students made the most of a min-

i-break from classes last week, making Valentine’s cards and cookies for residents at North Peace Seniors Housing as part of their seniors project. “It gives us great joy to see the seniors smile and interact with us!” Ally Peever wrote in an update on the school’s website. On Feb. 15, RCMP officers donned their Red Serge uniforms to join seniors for a dance at North Peace Seniors Housing.

NORTH PEACE SECONDARY SCHOOL PHOTO

NPSS Senior Alt students spread Valentine’s Day love to residents of North Peace Seniors Housing.

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Alianna Moyer was having so much fun learning to play sledge hockey on Feb. 16, 2019, that she didn’t want to leave the North Peace Arena ice.

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Dennette Saccary and her son Easton try out Fort St. John’s new crokicurl rink during the High On Ice festival on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019.

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

The 2019 Fun Loppet at Beatton Provincial Park on Feb. 16, put on by the Whiskey Jack Nordic Ski Club, saw more than 60 skiers take to the trails. The bunnies age group race was a crowd favourite.

DAVE LUENEBERG PHOTO

The High On Ice festival closing ceremonies were a sight to behold on Feb. 18, 2019.

Fort St. John Curling Club standings: week 13

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Lance Bayet skips his first-place men’s team during a game on Feb. 6, 2019.

Here are your standings from the Fort St. John Curling Club leagues after 13 weeks of play. Alpine Glass suffered its first loss in the Men’s A Division but remains in first place by one point over FSJ Links. April Podulsky’s team also lost its first game in the Mixed A Division, and is a tie for first with Bob Cooper at 5-1.

Brennan Eklund 0-2

Mens A Division Alpine Glass 5-1 FSJ Links 4-1-1 Warren Flesjer 4-2 Rhyason Contracting 3-2 Bob Cooper 2-2-1 Shawn Ward 2-3-1 Pimms Production 2-3 Chad Bordeleau 2-3 Embleton Construction 1-4-1 Sunrise Rotary 0-5

B Division Neil Edwards 6-0 Kolten Lindner 4-2 Bruce Farquhar 3-2 Gary Anderson 2-3-1 Northern Rockies Trees 2-1 Dean Larson 1-3-1 Beauty and the Sweeps 0-2 Sheetheads 0-1

B Division Northern Metallic 5-0-1 Glen Merwin 4-1-1 Compass Compression 3-2-1 Lido Theatre 2-2 D&T Electric 2-1 Bulldog inspection 2-1 Steve Braun 2-3 Challenger Inspection 1-2 Devin Dickson 1-3

Mixed A Division April Podulsky 5-1 Bob Cooper 5-1 Edward Schmidt 3-3 Jeff Holland 2-2 Brian Kelly 2-3 Ace Instruments 2: 2-3 7C Contracting 2-3-1 David Kellestine 0-4

Seniors Paul Wuthrich 10-2-1 Larry London 9-3-1 Ray Clark 9-3 Donna Solodan 7-2-2 Leo Felix 7-4-2 Swede Taylor 7-3 Larry Solodan 6-4 Shirley Kinnis 5-4-2 John Mast 4-2-3 Connie Richter 4-3-3 Harry Danshin 5-5 Julie Taylor 4-5-2

Elmer Westergaard 4-3-1 Madonna Robertson 3-4-1 Dave Kellestine 3-5-1 Carol Rhyason 3-5-1 Coleen Zieger 3-7-1 Faye 3-3 Leonard Hamilton 3-3 Roy Chisolm 2-5-1 Stella Hamilton 2-1 Alice Lock 2-3 Ed Sariba 2-4 Linda Kelly 1-6-2 Gerald Able 1-3-1 Glen Aahlus 1-0-1 Tim Maloney 1-0 Paula Maloney 1-1 Womens - Final Rounds A Division Jodi Busche 1-0 Cheryl Batten 1-0 Cina Wales-Green 1-1 Deanne Busche 0-2 B Division Tara Forest 2-0 Donna Greenway 0-1 Teagan Topal 0-1 C Division Pam Murray 2-0 Jaime Hotte 1-1 Kristin Bayet 1-1 Tennille Penner 0-1 Rebecca Friesen 0-1

B8 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2019

LOCAL NEWS

Dog sled rides more popular than expected When Northern Star Racing Kennel was asked to offer free sled dog rides to the public as part of the High On Ice festival, kennel owners Charlene and Robert Gifford jumped at the opportunity, seeing a chance to bring more local awareness to the sport. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize how big of a success it would be. Rides were offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Baldonnel, but so many people showed up that all spots were booked by 11:30 a.m.

“It’s been really great to see so many people come out, and it’s unfortunate we had to turn people away,” said Charlene. The Giffords, along with daughter Leah and the rest of their staff, run their kennel out of Cecil Lake. They’ve been running Alaskan Husky sled dogs since 1992, but have gone full time with Northern Star as a business in recent years. Leah races the Fort St. James sled dog race each year, and has plans to raise the 1000mile Yukon Quest and Iditarod races

in the future. The Giffords also offer rides in Cecil Lake, which are starting to pick up steam, and do the popular Quesnel Mail Run every year, in which they deliver mail from Quesnel to Barkerville, B.C. each winter by sled dogs. “It’s a very special and unique family event that we do,” Charlene said. Charlene said she’s pleased in the interest in the rides, and hopes that interest in the sport will continue to grow in the years to come.

All Ladies’ Winter Boots up to

50% off All Men’s Sandals 50% off Some Stomper Steel Toe Boots as low as $99

DILLON GIANCOLA PHOTO

Kaila Maxwell plays with some of the Northern Star Racing dogs as she waits for a dog-sled ride in Baldonnel on Feb. 15, 2019.

Recognizing and treating hyperthyroidism in cats

WE CARRY AN EXCELLENT SELECTION OF STEEL TOE BOOTS

Dawson Co-op Mall • Phone: 250-782-8283 Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM • Saturday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Clubs of Dawson Creek

R0011651240

RipsShoeRenu.com • ripsshoerenu@shaw.ca

Annual Fishing March 3, 2019

Derby

Swan Lake Provincial Park

310:00Heats am - 11:30 am 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

t a e Gr zes Pri

$40 OR $100

Angler Fees:

per hole 3 holes for

Contact: Alex 250-719-4760 • Dale 250-719-7427

Must Have Valid Fishing License

he older your beloved kitty becomes, the greater the chance disease is going to strike. Hyperthyroidism is one of the more commonly diagnosed diseases of senior cats. It can be found in males and females equally. It can be diagnosed between 4 and 20 years of age, but the vast majority are found in cats older than 8 years of age. Hyperthyroidism is caused by tumors in thyroid gland that overproduce thyroid hormone. Excess thyroid hormone essentially causes the body to run in high gear all of the time. Though tumors are a form of cancer, fewer than 2% of these growths cause problems outside of thyroid gland. This means that successful control of hyperthyroidism can improve quality and length of life for most of these cats. Early in the disease, affected cats may show signs as subtle as small changes in drinking and urinating. Some might just start to be more vocal or more unsettled. As the disease continues, weight loss – despite a good or even increased appetite – may occur. Behaviour changes like increased crankiness, night waking, nervousness, and changes in activity are often seen. Owners may also see other symptoms such as vomiting with or without diarrhea, faster breathing or panting and seeking cool areas. Weakness and poor grooming causing scruffiness that may contribute to the old age cat look. These signs can come on so slowly that owners don’t recognize them as symptoms of disease and think that they are just part of getting old. Undiagnosed cats are at high risk of heart problems because the high-gear effect makes the heart beat at nearly twice its regular rate. They are also are more likely to have eye problems due to high blood pressure. The changes in blood flow also hide the signs of early kidney disease making it more difficult to diagnose and treat. Early detection of hyperthyroidism really minimizes the long term damage done to the body. Senior screening with routine lab work that includes checking the thyroid is recommended from 7 years of age. This, in combination with senior wellness exams every 6 months, is the best way allow your veterinarian to diagnose hyperthyroidism and other senior diseases like kidney problems or diabetes. As mentioned previously, early diagnosis and treat-

Dr. Katharine North NORTH PEACE CREATURE FEATURE

ment of hyperthyroidism can improve quality and length of life. There are several treatment options available. Radiation therapy to destroy the cancerous tissue is very effective. It requires a higher initial expense and a trip to a specialist – but often in the long term, the overall cost is relatively similar. Surgery can be done on the thyroid gland, but can be technically challenging and has a higher cost. Methimazole treatment can be given two or three times daily for life. This comes in pill and gel form. Side effects can occur. Each owner and cat team has a different level of tolerance with regular medicating. For some it is a treat and bonding time, but for others it can lead to hospital visits and replacing home furnishings! It is important for this medication to be regular and life-long. Iodine-restricted diets can be fed. These must be the only source of food to work and should not be fed to unaffected cats. This can make this treatment too difficult to manage for most owners. Consultation with your veterinarian will help decide which option might work for your situation. Surgery and radiation rarely require continued monitoring of the thyroid, but both diet and Methimazole treatment need monitoring bloodwork on a regular basis. All treatments should have complete lab work repeated once the thyroid is stable to pick up other medical problems that may have been obscured. Remember that senior cats don’t have to be sick, old cats. They can be happy, thriving kitties late into their teens and twenties with regular care and early diagnosis of manageable problems like hyperthyroidism. Senior wellness exams and screening are fundamental to a long healthy life. Dr. Katharine North (née Moody) has been a resident and active participant in the Fort St. John community since her family immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom as a child. Her interest in medicine and animals led her back to the University of Liverpool in the U.K. to complete her Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2000.