THURSDAY, march 14, 2019 Vol. A-75, No. 11
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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Easton Cowger, playing the role of Captain Hook, leads his pirate peers in a dance and musical number during Ecole Central Elementary’s production of Peter Pan Jr. on March 9, 2019. The production is a collaborative effort involving students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. > > Turn to A13 for more photos
School district superintendent Dave Sloan set to retire matt preprost
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After 30 years of teaching and helping steer the education system in Peace River North, Superintendent Dave Sloan is set to retire. The news was made public during a staffing update at the board of education’s meeting Monday, March 11. Sloan’s retirement is targeted for this fall, but his effective date is still being finalized with trustees. There are a number of projects still to finish, and key among them is bargaining “one more good settlement” with teachers and support staff, Sloan said. “I’ve often said nobody really gets to retire here, you just get repurposed, so, I’m looking forward to my own repurposing,” Sloan said. “I’m looking forward to finishing off my tenure as superintendent, finishing this year well, and helping to set up next year to be great as well.” Sloan began working for the district in September 1989 at Clearview school. He’s been superintendent since spring 2013 after taking over the post from Larry Espe. A search for Sloan’s replacement will begin soon, and trustees are being brought up to speed on the hiring process, board chair Ida Campbell said.
Dave Sloan at the grand opening celebration of Margaret ‘Ma’ Murray Community School.
Deadline soon for community award noms matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
com/r/2019communityawards. 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).
Festival plaza construction pushed to 2020 matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
Fort St. John has extended the deadline to submit nominatons for its annual community awards. Nominations for the top leaders in local culture, recreation, literacy, youth leadership, and humanitarian efforts are due by March 20 at 4 p.m. 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 can be made online at surveymonkey.
Fort St. John city councillors have voted to push construction of the festival plaza project to 2020 as they hope to secure a grant that could finance most of the build. Council made the move for fiscal reasons. It’s already earmarked $1.4 million to the project, but a key grant from the Investing In Canada Infrastructure Grant program could fund up to 73% of eligible project costs. A decision on the grant won’t be made until the fall. “The conundrum is whether to wait for funding that we may not receive or to proceed,” Jennifer Decker, economic development manager, wrote in a report that came before council on Monday. “Tendering of the project before an announce-
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ment is made will make the project ineligible for the grant funding.” The city had earmarked its $1.4-million signing bonus from the Peace River Agreement to the project in 2016, but is applying for grants to help offset the costs. The city has also applied for a grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust. Council approved draft designs of the plaza in January, and EDS Group is finalizing its design and cost estimates, due for final approval soon. The plan calls for the plaza building itself, as well as stalls for food vendor, amphitheatrestyle seating, obelisks for heating, and other obelisks for lighting both the plaza and the sky with a teepee-like pattern.
SD60 granted $1.4 million matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
School District 60 is being granted $1.4 million for school upgrades and new buses. The district is receiving money through the School Enhancement Program for boiler upgrades at Upper Pine Elementary-Junior Secondary. It’s also being funded for three new buses. “This funding provides better instructional environments for both teachers and learners to focus more of their energies on student success,” Education Minister Rob Fleming said in a news release.
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