THURSDAY, may 16, 2019 Vol. A-75, No. 20
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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City’s Top 5 dangerous intersections matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
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9224 100 Street, Fort St. John, BC (250) 785-0463
A BC Wildfire Service crew heads in to fight a brush fire at Coffee Creek, May 11, 2019. Strong winds from the southwest that afternoon quickly whipped up the fire, which started somewhere behind the regional district transfer site between the 252 and Dump roads just off the Alaska Highway at Mile 62. Residents and fire personnel were quick to respond, with planes dropping two loads of retardant to stop the fire’s spread across the highway and toward the Coffee Creek subdivision and RV park. Three BC Wildfire Service crews were called in, while private water trucks also responded. The fire danger rating is moderate to high in the region. See pictures and videos online at bit.ly/2Vxiu0y
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Food recovery program gets new cargo van Collecting grocery store food destined for the landfill and diverting it to the local food bank just got a lot easier in Fort St. John. The Salvation Army has added a new cargo van to its fleet, making daily trips to local grocery stores to pick up surplus produce, meat, and dairy. The van was put to work Tuesday morning, and is one of the last pieces of the agency’s $115,000 grant from Food Banks BC in support of its food recovery program. Next up is a $19,000 retrofit over the next few months to make the van refrigerated. “We were using a small passenger van and picking up 800 pounds a day, making several trips,” said Cameron Eggie, executive director. “Logistically, once it’s refrigerated, we won’t have to rush back to the centre if we pick up a load of milk or steaks.” The food recovery program has seen more than 67,000 pounds of food collected since it launched in July 2018. The recent grant has already helped the Salvation Army buy a new walk-in cooler and walkin freezer, and washing station in support of those efforts. “It’s a great symbol in the community,” Eggie said of the van. “We are there in the community picking up and reducing waste. That’s the biggest thing.” Volunteers are always
1. 100 Street and Hwy 97N (and turning lane): 100, 36 causing injury or fatality (36%) 2. 100 Avenue and Hwy 97N and Old Fort Road (and turning lane): 91, 30 causing injury or fatality (33%) 3. 100 Street and 100 Avenue: 76, 17 causing injury or fatality (22%) 4. 93 Avenue and 96/96A Streets: 67, 20 causing injury or fatality (30%)
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Cameron Eggie of the Salvation Army Fort St. John with the agency’s new cargo van for its food recovery program, outside Save-On Foods, May 8, 2019.
needed. Those interested in helping with the program can call 250-785-0506.
Power outage could last a week Nearly 100 households in Cecil Lake and Goodlow could be without power for up to a week. A landslide damaged a BC Hydro transmission line into the area causing a power outage on Monday. BC Hydro is monitoring the situation, although there is no timeline on when power will be restored. Initial estimates suggest between five to seven days. “Before any work can begin, a geotechnical assessment needs to be completed,” Dave Conway said. The Goodlow Transfer Station is being equipped with a generator to continue regular operations starting Wednesday.
Child and youth committee here The provincial committee on children and youth will hold a public hearing in Fort St. John on Wednesday, May 22, to gather feedback on children and youth with neuro-diverse special needs such as autism and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. “The committee invites parents, caregivers, service providers and advocates to share their experiences and challenges with assessment and eligibility processes, and their recommendations for improvement,” the province said. The hearing takes place at the Pomeroy Hotel from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. To register call 250-356-2933 or 1-877-428-8337.
PAVING 100 Canadian
Combined, the top five most dangerous intersections in Fort St. John have seen nearly 400 accidents over the last five years. ICBC recently updated its provincial statistics and interactive maps, giving motorists five years of crash data at and between intersections from 2013 to 2017. In Fort St. John, three out of the top five trouble spots are at key corridors connecting motorists from the Alaska Highway and into the city. And nearly one in three accidents at these five intersections over the last five years have led to injury or death. Here’s a quick snapshot of the Top 5 most dangerous intersections, in order of total number of all crashes, including those that caused injury, death, and property damages only.
Residential • Commercial • Industrial Roads • Driveways • Parking Lots
5. 108 and 109 Streets and Hwy 97N (and turning lane): 63, 18 causing injury or fatality (28.5%) Rounding out the Top 10 intersections with the most crashes were: 6. 100 Street and 93 Avenue: 60, with the majority of them — 41 — at at the back lane intersection behind Integra Tire and Silver Creek Cookhouse; another 19 were at the controlled intersection at NAPA. Seventeen of these caused an injury or fatality (28%) 7. 86 Street and Hwy 97N (and turning lane): 59, 18 causing injury or fatality (30.5%) 8. 96/96A Streets and Hwy 97N (and turning lane): 49, 13 causing injury or fatality (26.5%) 9. 100 Avenue and 90 Street: 42, 14 causing injury or fatality (33%) 10. 100 Street and 105 Avenue: 38, 13 causing injury or fatality (34%)
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