THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 VOL. 74, NO. 5
SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
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Cities push for fire dispatch compensation JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca
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Fort St. John and Dawson Creek say they should be “kept whole� for money spent on fire dispatch equipment and personnel after the Peace River Regional District opted to outsource those services to Vancouver Island. On Jan. 12, the region voted to confirm a decision to sign a contract with North Island 9-1-1 for fire dispatching services. The Vancouver Island-based company is set to take over fire dispatching in the Peace Region this fall. The decision has proved controversial. Some worry that having firefighters dispatched from a city outside the region will lead to increased response times and put lives and property at risk. Others criticized the board for making the decision in a closed meeting without public consultation. It has also created issues for Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, which have their own dispatch services. On Jan. 26, Fort St. John Mayor Lori
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Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman: ““Being kept whole is about looking after the soft infrastructure (personnel) as well as the hard infrastructure we invested in to provide that service.�
Ackerman said the city wanted to be made “whole� for its investments in personnel and equipment. The city entered a proposal to take over fire dispatch, but was underbid by North Island 911. “Being kept whole is about looking after the soft infrastructure (personnel) as well
as the hard infrastructure we invested in to provide that service,� she said. Ackerman argued the city kept the regional district’s tax-base “whole� for five years after a recent extension of Fort St. John’s boundaries. Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead said that while he understood the desire to save money, he was frustrated about lost revenue to the city. Dawson Creek considered bidding on the contract, but stepped aside over concerns about costs and liability, he said. “We were obviously concerned about the impact of a couple hundred thousands dollars in lost revenue to our community,� he said, saying that could force cuts or tax hikes. Before entering the new contract, Dawson Creek received around $200,000 a year from the PRRD to pay for two firefighters for dispatch services. “We have to find a way to keep us whole. We can’t just eat two hundred grand out of the gate, because that’s what it’s going to mean.� See DISPATCH on A8
Carnival adds $1,000 to Super Park efforts
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What’s a newspaper and what do reporters do all day, anyway? Grades 4 and 5 students from Upper Pine school set out to find out, dropping by the Alaska Highway News office on Jan. 31 for a tour and sneak peek of this week’s edition. Above, AHN Editor and newsman Matt Preprost shows students the news of the week from an August 1958 edition of the paper. Interested in arranging a tour or speaking engagement for your class? Email editor@ahnfsj.ca.
Charlie Lake talks continue Feb. 9 MATT PREPROST editor@ahnfsj.ca
The Charlie Lake Conservation Society will hold a public meeting Feb. 9 to talk about the ecology and health of Charlie Lake. The meeting follows up on one held last fall that saw residents pack the Charlie Lake Community Hall to hear from government agencies, Northern Health,
the conservation society, and entrepreneurs for a threehour meeting to tackle algae issues facing the popular recreation and residential area. “We want to maintain presence in the community,� said society member Bess Legault. “It’s going to be another reiteration of the quality of the lake, with a focus on natural loading systems.�
The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at Whole Wheat & Honey in Fort St. John, and includes speakers from the conservation society as well as experts from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Last August, the discovery of potentially toxic bluegreen algae blooms prompted a public health advisory to residents and lake users.
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Having a place for children to play indoors is important for their development, says the North Peace Family Super Park Society. The society held the first of its two major fundraising events last Saturday, the annual Winter Carnival, which saw hundreds of kids and their parents convene at the Bert Ambrose Elementary School gym for snacks, games and prizes. Society president Jaandi Roemer was pleased with how the day had gone. “It’s been great, pretty steady throughout the day,â€? she said. The event brought in $1,000 for the society. The NPFSPS has been a registered non-profit for the last four years and has been talking with the City of Fort St. John and the Peace River Regional District about getting an indoor play facility in the community. Their goal is to raise money to help pay for equipment for this proposed facility. “If you really look around at what we have for indoor play, there’s not a lot,â€? she said. “There is stuff you can do, there is bowling there is swimming those things, but a lot of the things that are available‌don’t support developmental growth.â€? See SUPER PARK on A13
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