THURSDAY, may 3, 2018 Vol. 75, No. 18
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
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alaskahighwaynews.ca
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More than a dozen people turned out to 100 Street and 100 Avenue to celebrate World Tai Chi and Qigong Day with a public class on April 28, 2018. More than 100 cities in 80 countries took part in the annual celebration.
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Northern resource corridor revisited matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
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The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality will look to revive a decades-old idea to develop resource corridor for the north when political leaders from across central and northern B.C. meet in Fort Nelson next week. The North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA), which represents local governments from 100 Mile House to the Yukon border, holds its annual meeting May 7 to 10. The NCLGA votes on policy proposals from member cities and towns, some of which become lobbying priorities of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
Among the proposals on the table will be a plan to lobby the provincial and federal governments to develop a northern resource corridor, and shift resource transportation and exports away from large urban centres. “With all this damn fighting that goes on after you get a project (approved), why not get the fight done before the project?” said Northern Rockies Mayor Bill Streeper. “Why not get a corridor from here to Prince Rupert, where you can run rail if you want, road if you want, or power or a pipeline, or whatever’s coming up the road next year for technology?” The goal is faster, safer, and cost-effective resource trans-
portation, at a time when traditional routes through urban centres are becoming an escalating point of opposition and protest, as witnessed with the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. There’s opportunity to establish a right-of-way by piggybacking on surveys that were completed for a pipeline route for the now-cancelled Pacific NorthWest LNG project in Prince Rupert, Streeper noted. Consultations already took place, and the “only thing would be to go back and make it wider,” he said. Prince George is already a central hub with rail and road transport to the coast, Streeper added. See CORRIDOR on A10
SD60 files lawsuit over Ma Murray land deal matt preprost editor@ahnfsj.ca
The School District 60 Board of Education claims it was unaware it would be on the hook for nearly $200,000 worth of sanitary sewer construction when it bought land to build the new Margaret ‘Ma’ Murray Community School. The board has filed suit against Peace Holdings Inc. in B.C. Supreme Court, seeking $196,920 in damages for breach of contract, as well as other damages and costs for misrepresentation of the property. According to its claim, the board bought the land along the West Bypass Road for $2.82 million in March 2015. It alleges it received a tax bill
from the City of Fort St. John in May 2016 noting the land was subject to local area service charges to cover the cost of the design and construction of sanitary sewer works in and around the property. The work and charges amount to $11,583.50 a year until 2033. “Pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement, the seller represented and agreed, among other things, that there were no local improvement charges or special levies against the property nor had it received any notice of such propose local improvement charges or special levies,” reads the claim, filed on March 15. Schools are exempt from paying property taxes, but are not exempt from any fees or
charges for service levied by a municipality, according to the province. That includes local area service capital projects, such as sewer installations or road improvements, in which the city recoups it borrowing costs for the work through agreements with property owners. Board Chair Erin Evans declined to comment on the lawsuit. Peace Holdings has yet to file a response. In a statement, the company said it has had a good working relationship with the school district. “We’ve been building and developing in Fort St. John since 2005 and have gone above and beyond in our developments,” the company said. See LAWSUIT on A5
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The Alaska Highway News returned home with a pair of awards from the annual Ma Murray newspaper awards held in Richmond on April 28. For a second year in a row, AHN won bronze for newspaper excellence in its circulation class. The award recognizes everything from a newspaper’s content, photography, advertising, design, print quality, and online presence. “This paper is adept at breaking down news and delivering it in a digestible manner that must ingratiate them into the community,” the judges noted. “The overall package is thorough and insightful with a commitment to craft that is appreciated.” Sixteen newspapers were eligible for a newspaper excellence award in the 6,00113,000 circulation class, judged independently by a panel of three industry experts. The Alaska Highway News was judged on its May 4, 2017, provincial election edition, as well as its Dec. 14, 2017, edition that was anchored by the NDP government’s decision to continue building the Site C dam. Whistler’s Pique Newsmagazine won gold, while Sechelt’s Coast Reporter won silver. Meanwhile, Managing Editor Matt Preprost earned silver for editorial writing, for a November 30, 2017, article about a personal health scare and the important work the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation does to raise money to buy critical, lifesaving medical equipment not fully paid for by the province. “A personal health story grabs attention for an exploration of how small communities manage to gain up-to-date technology and the importance of volunteers to ensure that equipment,” the judges noted. Kelsey Klassen of the nowclosed Westender won gold for an editorial about Vancouver’s Pride Parade; Gail Sjuberg of the Gulf Islands Driftwood won bronze for an editorial about incorporation on Salt Spring Island. The Ma Murray Awards are held annually by the BC & Yukon Community Newspapers Association, which represents 98 member newspapers. Awards were handed out in more than 40 categories at the April 28 gala, held at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond.
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