THURSDAY, MAY 4 2017 VOL. 74, NO. 18
SERVING FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
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COOL COLOURS
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Pink, blue and yellow clouds swirled over hundreds of students gathered out front of Ecole Central Elementary School on April 28. Inspired by the annual Holi Festival celebrated in India and Nepal, Central’s second annual Colour Festival celebrates the diversity of the school and community.
THE RACE FOR PEACE RIVER NORTH
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BC NDP candidate Rob Dempsey says social justice and fair governance are key to B.C.’s future.
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Independent candidate Bob Fedderly places one of his campaign signs in a yard in Fort St. John.
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BC Liberal candidate Dan Davies was out knocking on doors on April 19.
Dempsey looks to Fedderly sees future Davies brings new bridge prosperity of opportunity for perspectives to families, youth Liberal table and poverty BRONWYN SCOTT
MATT PREPROST
ALEISHA HENDRY
Alaska Highway News
editor@ahnfsj.ca
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love teaching. Absolutely love it,” says Rob Dempsey, who’s taught history at North Peace Secondary School in Fort St. John for the past 10 years. “The best job I’ve ever had.” That could change if Dempsey, equally passionate about social justice and fair governance, wins in his riding on Tuesday, May 9, and becomes MLA for Peace River North. The 53-year-old New Democrat, who was asked by the party to throw his name into the ring, has long lobbied for social change. “Everybody knows I believe in social democracy,” Dempsey tells the Alaska Highway News. “I’ve never been quiet about my political beliefs.” Causes like Site C—which he calls a “$9-billion mess”—better care for elderly citizens, and making post-secondary education less inhibitive, ignite a fire in his conscience that’s not easily quelled. See DEMPSEY on A12
t’s a cool, crisp April evening when Bob Fedderly and a volunteer meet up at the corner of 106 Street and 114 Avenue in Fort St. John to knock on doors in and around Countryview Estates. It’s the independent MLA candidate’s first round of canvassing the area for support ahead of the May 9 election, but it feels like familiar territory. Before the two have left their meeting post to knock on their first door, Fedderly is chatting up long-time acquaintances in the street, while motorists drive by and give him a wave. “Good luck in the next couple weeks, Bob,” says one passerby after a brief chat. “It’s coming,” Fedderly replies. A popular and long-time local businessman in the Peace Region, Fedderly scans the neighbourhood and sees the type of families and voters he’s targeting and counting on for that luck in this election campaign, his first. See FEDDERLY on A13
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athered at his campaign office on 100 Avenue, Dan Davies is ready to put shoes to pavement and knock on some doors and interact with voters. Mother Nature granted Fort St. John a brief reprieve from the spring snowfall, and the sun is shining bright on this Wednesday evening. Davies isn’t alone in his door knocking. The crew is made up of three Fort St. John residents—Craig Stevens, Ramona McDonald, and Chuck Fowler— and Martyn Lafrance, sent here by the BC Liberals to help Davies run his campaign. Stevens arrived at the campaign office with a bag from Burger King for his dinner. He ended up in Fort St. John after he “ran out of gas in 1994” and has been here ever since. He has every faith that Davies is the right man to represent Peace River North. “I like the fact that he’s a local politician in city council and got good results,” Stevens says. See DAVIES on A14
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