THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017 VOL. 74, NO. 24
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Finding Hometown Pride
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Dustin Carnell has watched Fort St. John become more open and accepting of the LGBTQ community.
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Growing up LGBTQ in Fort St. John can be tough— but community leaders say that’s changing as the city’s second annual Pride Walk takes to the streets
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Unions draw battle lines over Site C
Dustin Carnell didn’t just come out of the closet. He “kicked it down and burned it behind (him).” The North Peace Pride Society trustee is one of several people working to pave the way for making Fort St. John a safe place for the LGBTQ community. Carnell, 48, transitioned six years ago and as a trans man has found people to be quite accepting, which he said initially surprised him. “I grew up here…I know what the attitude was in Fort St. John. Before I was trans, I came out as a lesbian and I was actually surprised at how easy that was,” he said. “There was still some hatred, but nothing
I couldn’t handle. And when I came out as trans, I was really surprised at how welcoming the community was.” Fort St. John has changed a lot in terms of its attitude toward the LGBTQ community—for a long time, it was considered very “closeted.” “Fort St. John has been largely a closeted community, in the opinion of the LGBTQ community here, and that’s sad, really,” said Pride Society president Kerry France. “It’s sad that a large part of the community feels they need to not be themselves.” It’s a feeling France knew all too well as a young LBGTQ teenager growing up in the city. “When I was a teen, I found no support,” she said. “I did tell myself that I wouldn’t be
back because of that. It had a profound effect on my life.” But after spending some time away from Fort St. John, including living in San Francisco and seeing what an accepting community can be like, France ended up returning to take on her job at the library. France felt that Fort St. John had grown as a community and was ready to welcome a Pride celebration. “Fort St. John has shown support and that we’re ready to see something like this happen in our community,” she said. “There are several communities around us that have been celebrating LGBTQ diversity for several years and there’s really no reason why Fort St. John shouldn’t be able to do the same.” See PRIDE on B8
Davies sworn in, council byelection in fall
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LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF B.C.
Peace River North MLA Dan Davies was sworn in as a member of the B.C. legislature on June 8.
Dan Davies took his oath of allegiance and signed the Parliamentary Roll last week, taking his place in the B.C. legislature. Davies was elected MLA for Peace River North, and will return to the legislature along with his BC Liberal colleagues June 22 for a throne speech. Davies has tendered his
resignation as a Fort St. John city councillor, effective Aug. 1. As such, a byelection to fill his seat will take place Sept. 9. The nomination period will begin July 25 at 9 a.m. and end Aug. 4 at 4 p.m. Those interested in putting their name forward must be at least 18 years of age, be a Canadian Citizen and have lived in B.C. for the at
least six months prior to filing nomination documents. Advanced voting will take place on Aug. 30 and Sept. 6. Mayor Lori Ackerman requested the byelection be scheduled for early September so the newly elected councillor has the chance to attend the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference if they choose.
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Two unions representing roughly half the workforce on the Site C dam want meetings with the BC NDP and Green parties to discuss the future of the $8.8-billion project. Both the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) and the Construction Maintenance and Allied Workers Canada (CMAW) have sent letters to NDP Leader John Horgan to talk about his position on the project, which includes sending the dam for a BC Utilities Commission review if he forms a minority government in the coming weeks. CLAC, which represents workers employed by civil works contractor Peace River Hydro Partners, says it’s circulating a petition amongst its workers at the dam to support its continued construction. Any delay resulting from the review would be “undue and unwarranted,” the union said in a release, and its outright cancellation would have an “immense” impact on workers. “Many of our members have made significant household decisions and commitments based upon the expectation of long-term work,” CLAC BC Provincial Director David Prentice wrote in June 12 letters to both Horgan and BC Green Leader Andrew Weaver. “Your party’s recommendations concerning this project will have a deep and profound impact upon their lives, their families, and all of those in Fort St. John, the Peace Country, and the province of British Columbia whose livelihoods depend on the continuation of construction at Site C.” Peace River Hydro Partners holds the $1.75-billion civil works contract to build the earth-filled dam, work that is expected to continue to 2024, Prentice noted. CLAC currently represents more than 1,000 workers on the project, he added. “As the representatives of the largest group of unionized workers on the project, we believe we are uniquely positioned to deliver a message of concern on behalf of the workers of Site C. Horgan has said work would continue on the dam during an expedited commission review. However, he has urged BC Hydro to delay the eviction of some valley landowners and hold off signing contracts without penalty-free cancellation clauses as his party looks to transition into a minority government with the support of the BC Greens. That includes a pending contract for Highway 29 realignment work at Bear Flat expected to be awarded by June 15. See UNIONS on A8
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